Works of Joseph Hall, Section 33 – Section 35
SECTION XXXIII.
SOME great men, when they hauehave done ill, out-face their ſhame with enacting Lawes to make their ſins lawfull. While you thus charge our practiſe,Sinnes fold in our Courts. you bewray your owne: Who hauing ſeparated from Gods Church, deuiſe ſlanders to colour your ſinne: Wee muſt bee ſhamfull, that you may bee innocent: You load our Eccleſiaſticall Conſiſtories with a ſhameleſſe reproach: Farre bee it from vsus to iuſtifie any mans perſonall ſinnes; yet it is ſafer ſinning to the better part: Fie on theſe odious compariſons: ſinnes as ſaleable as at Rome? Who knowes not that to be the Mar… of all the World? Periuries, Murders, Treaſons are there bought and ſold▪ when euer in ours? The Popes coffers can eaſily confute you alone: What tell you vsus of theſe? let me tell you: Mony is as fit an aduocate in a Conſiſtorie, as fauour or malice: Theſe, ſome of yours hauehave complained of, as bitterly as you of ours: As if we liked the abuſes in Courts:G. Iohnſ. Trouble and Excommunications at Amſterdam. as if corrupt executions of wholeſom Lawes muſt bee imputed to the Church, whoſe wrongs they are. No leſſe hainous, nor more true in that which followeth. True Elders (not yours) ſhould be indeed, foreign This wee call for as vehemently (not ſo tumultuouſly) as yourſelues.
That they ſhould feed their Flockes with Word and Doctrine, we require more than you: That Patrons preſent, Biſhops inſtitute, Arch-Deacons induct ſome, which are unable, we grant and bewaile. But that our Church-Lawes iuſtifie them, wee deny, and you ſlander: For our Law (if you know not) requires, that eueryevery one to bee admitted to the Miniſtery, ſhould vnderſtand the Articles of Religion,Can. 34. not only as they are compendiouſly ſet downe in the Creed, but as they are at large in our Booke of Articles, neither vnderſtand them onelyonly, but be able to proue them ſufficiently out of the Scripture, and that not in Engliſh onelyonly, but in Latine alſo: This competencie would proue him (for knowledge) foreign: If this bee not performed, blame the perſons, cleere the Law. Profound Maſter Hooker tels you, that both Arguments from light of Nature, Lawes, and Statutes of Scripture, the Canons that are taken out of ancient Synods,M. Hookers fift booke of Eccleſiaſticall Politic. Pag. 26.3. the Decrees and Conſtitutions of ſincereſt times, the ſentences of all antiquity, and in a word, eueryevery mans full conſent and conſcience, is againſt ignorance in them that hauehave charge and cure of ſoules. And in the ſame booke; Did any thing more aggrauate the crime of Ieroboams Apoſtaſie, than that he choſe to hauehave his Clergie the ſcumme and refuſe of his whole Land? Let no man ſpare to tell it them,D. D…wn…m of the office and dignitie of the Miniſtery. Counterpoyſ. pag. 179. Diſt. 34. Can. Lector. Papa poteſt contra Apoſtolum diſpenſare, & Cauſ. 25. q. 1. Can. ſunt quidā Diſpenſat. in Euangelio, &c. De conceſſ. praebend. Tit. 8. Ca. they are not faithfull towards God, that burden wilfully his Church, with ſuch ſwarmes of vnworthy Creatures: Neither is it long, ſince a zealous and learned Sermon dedicated to our preſent Lord Archbiſhop by his owne Chaplaine, hath no leſſe taxed this abuſe, whether of inſufficiencie, or negligence (though with more diſcretion) than can bee expected from your malicious Pen. Learne henceforth not to diffuſe crimes to the innocent.
For the reſt: your Baal, in our Diſpenſations for Pluralities, would thus plead for himſelfe: Firſt, he would bid you learne of your Doctor to diſtinguiſh of ſinnes: ſinnes (ſaith hee) are either controuertible, or manifeſt: if controuertible or doubtfull, men ought to beare one with anothers different iudgement; if they doe not, &c. they ſinne: ſuch is this: if ſome be reſolued, others doubt; and in whole Volumes plead, whether conuenience, or neceſſity: how could your charitie compare theſe with ſinnes euicted? Secondly,Prop…ſuit ſecundum plenitudirem p…teſtatis de iure poſ…mus ſupra iu… d ſpenſare, & Gloſſ… p…ulo infra, Papa cōtra Apoſtolum diſpenſat &c. Sū. confer. p. 52. M. W…ites diſco. hee would tell you that theſe Diſpenſations are intended and directed, not againſt the offence of God, but the danger of Humane Lawes: not ſecuring from ſinne: but from loſſe: But, for both theſe points of Non-reſidence and inſufficiencie, if you ſought▪ not rather ſtrife than ſatisfaction; his Maieſties Speech in the Conference at Hampton Court, might hauehave ſtayed the courſe of your quarrellous Pen: No reaſonable minde, but would reſt in that Gracious and royall determination. Laſtly, Why looke you not to your owne Elders at home? euen your handfull hath not auoided this crime of Non-reſidency: What wonder is it, if our world of men hauehave not eſcaped?
SEP.
You are wiſer, and I hope honeſter than thus to attempt, though that receiued Maxime amongſt you (No Ceremony, no Biſhop; no Biſhop, no King) ſauours too ſtrongly of that Weed. But what though you be loyall to earthly Kings and their Crownes and Kingdomes, yet if you bee Trayt… and Rebels againſ the King of his Church Ieſus Chriſt, and the Scepter of his Kingdome, not ſuffering him by his Lawes and officers to reigne ouer you, but in ſtead of them doe ſt…p to Antichriſt in his offices and Ordinances; ſhall your loyaltie towards men, excuſe your Treaſons againſt the Lord? though you now cry neuer folowd, Wee hauehave no King but Caeſar, Iohn. 19.15, yet is there another King, one Ieſus, which ſhall returne and paſſe a heauy doome vponupon the Rebellion, Luke 19.27. Theſe enemies which would not hauehave me reigne ouer them, bring them and ſlay them before me.
SECTION XXXIIII.
Our Loyaltie to Princes cleered, theirs queſtioned. Bar. againſt Gyfford. Inconſt. of Brown. p. 113.YOv that confeſſe our wiſedome and honeſty, muſt now plead for your owne: your hope is not more of vsus; than our feare of you. To depoſe Kings, & diſpoſe Kingdomes is a proud worke: you want power, but what is our will? For Excommunication it is cleere enough: While you fully hold that eueryevery priuate man hath as much power in this cenſure, as the Paſtor; and that Princes muſt be equally ſubiect with them to theſe their cenſures. Let any man now deuiſe if the Browniſts could hauehave a King, how that King could ſtand one day vnexcommunicated? Or if this cenſure meddle onelyonly with his ſoule, not with his Scepter: How more than credible is it, that ſome of your Aſſemblies in Queene ELIzABETHS dayes concluded,Ibid. that ſhee was not (euen in our ſenſe) Supreme Head of the Church, neither had authority to make Lawes Eccleſiaſticall in the Church?Inquiry into Th. White. It is well if you will diſclaime it: But you know your receiued poſition; That no one Church is Superiour to other: No authoritie therefore can reuerſe this Decree; your will may doe it: yea, what better than Rebellion appears in your next clauſe? While you accuſe our Loyaltie to an earthly King, as treaſonable to the King of the Church, Chriſt Ieſus; If our Loyalty be a ſinne, where is yours? If we be Traytors in our obedience: what doe you make of him that commands it?Pag. 36. Whether you would hauehave vsus each man to play the Rex, and erect a new Gouernment; or whether you accuſe vsus as Rebels to Chriſt in obeying the old: GOD bleſſe King IAMES from ſuch Subiects. But whoſe is that ſo vnſauourie weed; No Biſhop, no King? Know you whom you accuſe? let me ſhew you your Aduerſarie; it is King IAMES himſelfe in his Hampton Conference: is there not now ſuſpition in the word? ſurely you had cauſe to feare that the King would proue no good ſubiect: Belike, not to Chriſt: What doe you elſe in the next but proclaime his oppoſition to the King of Kings? or ours in not oppoſing his?Eſa. 26.13. As if we might ſay with the Iſraelites, O Lord our God, other Lords beſides thee hauehave ruled vsus: If we would admit each of your Elders to be ſo many Kings in the Church, wee ſhould ſtoope vnderunder Chriſts Ordinances: Shew vsus your Commiſſion, and let it appeare, whether we be Enemies, or you Vſurpers; Alas, you both refuſe the rule of this true Deputie, and ſet vp falſe; Let this fearefull doome of Chriſt light where it is moſt due: Euen ſo let thine enemies periſh, O Lord.
SEP.
Not to ſpeake of the errour of vniuerſall Grace, and conſequently of Free-will, that groweth on …pace amongst you. what doe you elſe but put in for a part with God inconuerſion? though not through freedome of will, yet in a deuiſed Miniſtery▪ the meanes of conuerſion: it being the Lords peculiar as well to appoint the outward Miniſtery of conuerſion, as to giuegive the inward grace.
SECTION XXXV.
GOe on to ſlander: Euen that which you ſay, you will not ſpeake, you do ſpeake with much ſpight and no truth:Errors of Free-will, &c. fained vponupon the Church of England. What hath our Church to doe with errors of vniuerſall grace or Free-will? Errors which her Articles doe flatly oppoſe what ſhameleſneſſe is this? Is ſhee guilty euen of that which ſhee condemnes? If ſome few priuate iudgements ſhall conceiue, or bring forth an error, ſhall the whole Church doe penance? Would God that wicked and hereticall Anabaptiſme, did not more grow vponupon you than thoſe errours vponupon vsus: you had more neede to defend, than accuſe: But ſee (Chriſtian Reader) how this man draggs in crimes vponupon vsus, as Cacus did his … We doe (forſooth) part ſtakes with God in our conuerſion▪ wherein? in a deuiſed Miniſterie: the meanes of conuerſion; well fetcht about: There may bee a Miniſterie, without a conuerſion; and (è conuerſo) There may be a conuerſion without a Miniſtery: Where now are the ſtakes parted?1 Cor. 3.9. foreign. yet thus we part ſtakes (with the Apoſtle) that wee are Gods Fellow-labourers in this great worke: He hath ſeparated vsus to it, and ioyned vsus with him in it; it is he (as we hauehave proued) that hath deuiſed our Miniſterie: yea, your ſelfe ſhall proue it: it is his peculiar to appoint the outward Miniſtery, that giues the inward grace. But hath not God giuen inward grace, by our outward Miniſterie? Your hearts ſhall be our witneſſes: What wil follow therefore, but that our Miniſterie is his peculiar appointment?
SEP.
Where (ſay you) are thoſe rotten heaps of Tranſubſtantiating of bread? And where (ſay I) le…ned you your deuout kneeling to, or before the bread, but from that error of Tranſubſtantiation? Yea, what leſſe can it inſinuate, than either that, or ſome other the like idolatrous conceit? If there were not ſome thing more in the Bread and Wine than in the water at Baptiſme, or in the Word read or pre…ed, Why ſhould ſuch ſolemne kneeling bee ſo ſeuerely preſſed at that … rather than vponupon the other occaſions? And well and truely hauehave your owne men affirmed that it were farre leſſe ſinne, and appearance of an Idolatrie that is nothing ſo groſſe, to tye men in their Prayers, to kneele before a Crucifixe, than before the Bread and Wine: and the reaſon followeth, for that, Papiſts commit an Idolatrie far more groſſe and odious in worſhipping the Bread▪ than in worſhipping any other of their Images or Idols whatſoeuer. Apol. of the … of … Dioc. part. 1. pag. 66.