Works of Joseph Hall, Section 30 – Section 31
SECTION XXX.
Whether our Prelacie be Antichriſtian. Seuen Argu. firſt Anſw. Counterpoyſ.TO the particular inſtances: I aske where are the proud Towers of their Vniuerſall Hierarchie? You anſwer roundly: One in Lambeth, another in Fulham, &c. What Vniuerſall? Did euer any of our Prelates challenge all the World as his Dioceſſe? Is this ſimplicitie, or malice? If your Paſtor tell vsus, that as well a World as a Prouince, Let me returne it; If hee may be Paſtor ouer a Parlour-full: Why not of a Citie? And if of a Citie, why not of a Nation? But theſe you will proue vnruinated Towers of that Babel: You aske therefore whether the Office of Archbiſhops, Biſhops, and the reſt of that ranke, were not in Queene MARIES dayes, parts of that accurſed Hierarchie, and members of that Man of ſinne. Doubtleſſe they were: Who can denie it? But now (ſay you) they hauehave the ſame Eccleſiaſticall Iuriſdiction continued: This is your miſerable Sophiſtrie: Thoſe Popiſh Archbiſhops, Biſhops, and Clergie were members of Antichriſt: not as Church-Gouernours, but as Popiſh; while they ſwore ſubiection to him, while they defended him, whiles they worſhip… him aboue all that is called God, and extorted this homage from others, how could they be other but limmes of that Man of ſinne? ſhall others therefore which defie him, reſiſt, trample vponupon him, ſpend their liues and labours in oppugnation of him, bee neceſſarily in the ſame caſe, becauſe in the ſame roome? Let mee helpe your Anabaptiſts with a ſound Argument: The Princes, Peeres, and Magiſtrates of the Land in Queene MARIES dayes were ſhoulders and armes of Antichriſt; their calling is ſtill the ſame; therefore now they are ſuch: Your Maſter Smith vponupon no other ground, diſclaymeth Infants Baptiſme,Character of the Beaſt againſt R. Clifton. crying out that this is the maine relique of Antichriſtianiſme. But ſee how like a wiſe Maſter you confute your ſelfe: They are ſtill members of the bodie, though the head (the Pope) be cut off: The head is Antichriſt, therefore the bodie without the head is no part of Antichriſt: He that is without the head Chriſt, is no member of Chriſt: ſo contrarily; I heare you ſay, the very Iuriſdiction and Office is here Antichriſtian, not the abuſe: What? in them, and not in all Biſhops ſince, and in the Apoſtles times? Alas, who are you that you ſhould oppoſe all Churches and times? Ignorance of Church-ſtorie, and not diſtinguiſhing betwixt ſubſtances and appendances, perſonall abuſes, and callings, hath led you to this errour: Yet ſince you hauehave reckoned vp ſo many Popes, let mee helpe you with more: Was there not one in Lambeth, when Doctor Cranmer was there? One in Fulham, when Ridley was there? One in Worceſter, when Latimer was there? One at Wincheſter, when Philpot was there? Wee will goe higher;Arch Deacon. Was not Hilarius at Arles, Paulinus at Nola, Primaſius at Vtica, Eucherius at Lyons, Cyril at Alexandria, Chryſoſtome at Conſtantinople, Auguſtine at Hippo, Ambroſe at Millame?Beatiſſimus Papa paſſim in Epiſt. Ignat. ad Trallian. Euſeb. l 3. Ex Euſeb. Hier. Catalog. Scrip. Epaphanio, &c. What ſhould I be infinite? Was not Cyprian at Carthage, Euodius, and after him Ignatius in Saint Iohns time at Antioch, Polycarpus at Smyrna, Philip at Caeſarea, Iames and Simeon and Cleophas at Hieruſalem, and (by much conſent of Antiquitie) Titus in Creet, Timothie at Epheſus, Marke at Alexandria: yea, to be ſhort, was there not eueryevery where in all Ages, an allowed Superioritie of Church-Gouernours vnderunder this title? Looke into the frequent Subſcriptions of all Councels, and their Canons: Looke into the Regiſters of all times, and finde your ſelfe anſwered: Let Reuerend Caluin be our Aduocate: I would deſire no other words to confute you, but his:Caluin. Inſtit. l. 4. Hieron. Hu…gric. Heming. Poteſt. Eccleſ. claſ. 3. cap. 10. Hinc Eccleſia p…rior ſe…ta tē pera Apoſtolorū, fecit alios Patriar…, quorum erat curate vt Ep ſcopi cui…ſ que Dioceſeosrite eligerentur, vt ſuū munus Epiſcopi ſinguli probe adminiſtrarem, &c. Ariſt. P…l. 7. Potentia diuitiarum & pe…pertatis homilitas vel humiliorem vel inferi…rem Epiſcop…m non facit. Hieron. Euagr. Hee ſhall tell you that euen in the Primitiue Church, the Presbyters choſe one out of their number in eueryevery Citie, whom they titled their Biſhop, leſt diſſenſion ſhould ariſe from equalitie. Let Hemingius teach you that this was the practiſe of the pureſt Church: Thus it was euer; and if Princes hauehave pleaſed to annex either large maintenances, or ſtiles of higher dignitie, and reſpect vntounto theſe, doe their additions annihilate them? Hath their double honour made voyd their callings? Why, more than extreme needineſſe? If Ariſtotle would not allow a Prieſt to be a Tradeſman, yet Paul could yeeld to homely Tent-making: if your Elders grow rich or noble, doe they ceaſe to be, or begin to be vnlawfull? But in how many Volumes hath this point beene fully diſcuſſed? I lift not to gleane after their full carts.
SEP.
And ſo doe all the Reformed Churches in the World (of whoſe teſtimonie you boaſt ſo loud) renounce the Prelacie of England, as part of that Pſeudo-Clergie, and Antichriſtian Hierarchie deriued from Rome.
SECTION XXXI.
FRom your owne Verdict you deſcend to the teſtimonies of all Reformed Churches: I bluſh to ſee ſo wilfull a ſlander fall from the pen of a Chriſtian.The iudgment and practiſe of other reformed Churches. That all Reformed Churches renounce our Prelacie as Antichriſtian, what one hath done it? Yea, what one forraine Diuine of note, hath not giuen to our Clergie the right hand of Fellowſhip? ſo farre is it from this, that I. Alaſco was the allowed Biſhop of our firſt Reformed ſtrangers in this Land; ſo far, that when your Doctor found himſelfe vrged (by M. Spr.) with a cloud of witneſſes for our Church and Miniſterie, as Bucer, Martyr, Fagius, Alaſco, Caluin, Beza, Bullinger, Gualter, Simler, Zanchius, Iunius, Rollocus, and others,Anſw. Counterpoyſ. third Conſid. Pſal. 20.7. he had nothing to ſay for himſelfe, but, Though you come againſt vsus with Horſe-men and Chariots, yet we will remember the name of the Lord our God; and turnes it off with the accuſation of a Popiſh plea, and reference to the practiſe of the Reformed: And if therefore they hauehave ſo renounced it, becauſe their practiſe receiues it not; Why, like a true Make-bate doe you not ſay, that our Churches hauehave ſo renounced their Gouernment? Theſe ſiſters hauehave learned to differ, and yet to louelove and reuerence each other: and in theſe caſes to enioy their owne formes, without preſcription of neceſſitie or cenſure. Let Reuerend Beza be the Trumpet of all the reſt, who tells you that the Reformed Engliſh Churches continue, vpheld by the authoritie of Biſhops, & Archbiſhops,Bez. de Miniſtr. Euang. cap. 18. Cited alſo by D. D wn. p. 29. Hemingius. Iudicat caeteros Miniſtros ſuis Epiſcopis obtemperare debere. Poteſt. Eccl. c. 10. that they hauehave had men of that Ranke, both famous Martyrs, and worthy Paſtors and Doctors: and laſtly, congratulates this bleſſing to our Church: or let Hemingius tell you the iudgement of the D…niſh Church: Iudicat caeteros Miniſtros, &c. it iudgeth, ſaith he, that other Miniſters ſhould obey their Biſhops in all things, which make to the edification of the Church, &c. But what doe I oppoſe any to his name-leſſe All? his owne ſilence confutes him enough in my ſilence.
SEP.
It ſeemes, the ſacred (ſo called) Synod aſſumeth little leſſe vntounto her ſelfe in her determinations: otherwiſe, how durſt ſhee decree ſo abſolutely, as ſhee doth touching things reputed indifferent, viz. that all men in all places muſt ſubmit vntounto them without exception, or limitation? Except ſhee could infallibly determine, that theſe her Ceremonies thus abſolutely impoſed, ſhould edifie all men at all times, how durſt ſhee thus impoſe them? To exact obedience in and vntounto them, whether they offend or offend not, whether they edifie or deſtroy, were intolerable preſumption.