The Judgment of the Extent of Christs Death, Letter 8 – Letter 9
A Confirmation of the latter clause in this Letter of the Primates, viz. That the Articles of Ireland (determining the observation of the Lords day) were not called in Anno 1634. as Doctor Heylin hath affirmed.
DOctor Heylin, under the mask of an Observator hath been already offended with me, for joyning in a Certificate against what he hath related concerning the abrogating of the Articles of Ireland, which was done by the command of this most Reverend Primate in his life time, and since that, he hath been much more; for my saying in his Funeral Sermon, Some had rashly affirmed it, and that some such presumptious affections have been lately published, and stiling that person a presumptuous (I may say also uncharitable) observator, that should presume to enter into the Lord Primates breast, and aver that the abrogating of them (to use his own term) was the cause of his carrying a sharp tooth, bearing a grudge (and that a mortal one) towards the L. Lieutenant Strafford. The Language with which throughout he pleaseth himselfe, might have been easily returned, but in regard such pen-combats are unseasonable, and unfitting betweene those of the same profession (onelyonly gratefull to the adversary of both) I have left it to the prudence of a third person, who hath a convenient opportunity in his History to clear the whole, in the examination and moderation of all the passages between Mr. L. Strange and him.
OnelyOnly thus much upon this occasion, the observator is pleased to give me a share in his Title-page, calling it a rescue from the backblowes of Dr. Bernard; Indeed as to the person smitten, if they were any, they could be no other, for he then turned the back, and not the face, being an Anonymus, and so appearing in that disguise, I might be excused as he was that smote a Clergy man, riding without his Priestly habit, A man that walks in the dark, may meet with a knock by such as mean him no harm. And indeed the apprehension of the Authours disaffection so much expressed to this Eminent, and pious Primate in the endeavours thus to blemish him, (whom the whole reformed Church hath an high esteem of,) gave it suspected, both to my self, and others to have been some Jesuit, or Agent of the Sea of Rome, though as yet, not any one (as I hear of) hath moved his tongue against that true Israelite at his Exit hence, and I am sorry to see his sole enemies to be those of his own house, and profession.
But for the confirmation of what is here affirmed by the Primate, that the Articles of Ireland were not called in, though his above-mentioned Letter is sufficient to all uninteressed persons, yet for the Readers more full satisfaction, I shall give you a brief Narrative of the whole matter, being then a Member of that Convocation.
First in the House of the Clergy, which was then in the Cathedrall of St. Patricks Dublin, there was a motion made for the reception anew of the Articles of Ireland, and all unanimous were for the affirmative, excepting two, who went out. Another time the whole house of the Clergy being called into the Quire, where the Bishops sate, and the same thing again propounded to them, they all stuck to their former vote, excepting seven. The intent of the whole Clergy being by this sufficiently understood, and it appearing, there was no need of any such confirmation, having been An. 1615. fully and formally established, (viz. signed by Arch-Bishop Jones, Chancelour of Ireland, and then Speaker of the House of the Bishops in Convocation, by the Prolocutor of the House of the Clergy in their names, and signed by the then Lord Deputy Chichester, (by order from King James in his name) that motion was no more repeated, onelyonly the Primate was consulted with, concerning the approving and receiving of the Articles of England also, to which he readily consented, there being no substantial difference between them, to which he had subscribed himself voluntarily, long before in England, and conceiving it to be without any prejudice to the other.
Hereupon the first Canon (being all that was done in relation to them) was drawn up, the Primate approved it, and proposed it selfe (as President of the Synod) in the House of the Bishops, commended it to the House of the Clergy, where by his motion many assented the more readily, they all gave their Votes, man by man, excepting one person, who suspended his, out of the suspition that some might make that construction, which is the observators conclusion.
Now the chief argument, which the observator (if I may not call him Dr. Heylin) spends himself upon, is from what he hath picked out of the words of the Canon, where they do not onelyonly approve, but receive the Articles of England, from thence he inferres a superinducing of those, and so an abrogating of these of Ireland.
But I answer, there was not a reception of the one instead of the other, but the one with the other, and there being no difference in substance, but onelyonly in method number of subjects determined, and other circumstantials, it argues no more an abrogation than that doth of the Apostles Creed, by our reception of the Nicene Creed and Athanasius's, wherein some points are more enlarged, or that the reception into our use the form of the Lords Prayer, according to Saint Matthew, abrogates that of Saint Luke, being the shorter; Neither do I see, but if for the manifestation of our Union with other reformed Churches; We should approve and receive their Articles of Religion, and they receive ours, it were no abrogating of either. And the difference in them being onelyonly in circumstantials, and not in substance, all might be called one confession, That as of many Seas one Ocean, of many National Churches one Catholick Church, so of many forms of Canfessions, but one faith amongst them.
That Argument from the Apostles speech of making void the old Covenant by speaking of a new, or taking in the first day of the week to be the Sabbath, instead of the last, when but one of the seven was to be kept, doth not fit the case: for in these there was a superinduction, and reception of the one for the other: but in the Canon, the Articles of England are received not instead, but with those of Ireland. And that it was the sense then apprehended, not only by the Primate, but by the other Bishops (at least divers of them) appears in this, That afterwards at an Ordination they took the subscription of the party ordained to both Articles. And for further confirmation of this I shall give you the sense of a most eminent, learned, and judicious person, upon the view of what the observator rescued had written of it, I have received (sayes he) the book you sent me, and have perused it; I see he will have the allowance of our Articles of England, by the Synod in Ireland, to be a virtual disanulling of the Irish Confession; which (I conceive) saith no more, but, That both Confessions were consistent; And the Act of that Synod not a revocation of the Irish Articles, but an approbation of ours, as agreeing with them; He hath his flings at your Sermon, Preached at the Lord Primates Funeral, but in truth, he wrongs himself and our Church in those detractions from him.
A Letter of the late Arch-Bishop of Armagh, and Primate of Ireland, to Doctor Bernard of Grayes Inne, containing his judgement of the ordination of the Ministry in France and Holland.
I Received this following Letter from the late Arch-Bishop of Armagh, not long before his death, which (at the desire of some prudent men, and of different opinion in the subject of it) I have been moved to publish, which indced was committed to me by him for that end, and I do it the rather now, in regard somewhat hath been mistaken in the discourse of it, to his prejudice on both sides: So that without breach of trust I could no longer detain it. The occasion of it was this, there was given me by an Honourable person a writing, containg a report raised of the said Arch-Bishop concerning his judgement of the ordination beyond the Sea, which he prayed me to send unto him, which is as followeth: Mr.—asked the Arch-bishop of Armagh, upon occasion of an ordination, what he thought of them that were ordained by Presbyters? he said he judged their ordination to be null, and looked on them as Lay-men. He asked him, what he conceived of the Churches beyond the Sea. The Bishop answered, he had charitable thoughts of them in France. But as for Holland, he questioned if there was a Church amongst them, or not: or words fully to that purpose. This Dr.—confidently reports. This paper according to the earnest desire of the said person, I sent inclosed to the Lord Primate, being then out of Town, from whom immediately I received this answer, containing his judgement of the ordination of the Ministery of the reformed Churches in France, and Holland, as followeth.
Touching Mr.—I cannot call to mind that he ever proposed unto me the Questions in your Letter inclosed, neither do I know the Doctor—who hath spread that report; But for the matter it self, I have ever declared my opinion to be, That Episcopus & Presbyter, gradu tantum differunt, non ordine; and consequently, that in places where Bishops cannot be had, the ordination by Presbyters standeth valid, yet on the other side holding as I do, that a Bishop hath superiority in degree above a Presbyter, you may easily judge that the ordination made by such Presbyters, as have severed themselves from those Bishops, unto whom they had sworne Canonical obedience, cannot possibly by me be excused from being Schismatical; And howsoever, I must needs think that the Churches, which have no Bishops, are thereby become very much defective in their Government, and that the Churches in France, who, living under a Popish power, cannot do what they would, are more excusable in this defect than the Low-Countries that live under a free State: yet for the testifying my Communion with these Churches (which I do love and honour as true Members of the Church Universal.) I do professe that with like affection, I should receive the blessed Sacrament at the hands of the Dutch Ministers, if I were in Holland, as I should do at the hands of the French Ministers, if I were in Charentone.