Not Lawful to Hear of Have Spiritual Communion With the Church of England, Argument 7
The ſeventh Argument, taken out of Mr Bradſh. book aforeſaid: vidz, vide licet out of the tenth Argument of that Treatiſe.
IT is a ſinne against Chriſt the ſole Head of the Church, to have ſpirituall communion with thoſe Ministers, which in the administration of Divine things, do eyther by word or deed, ſolemnely profeſſe & yeeld a ſpirituall Homage, to an vſurped ſpirituall authority in the Church.
But the Miniſters of the Church-aſſemblies of England, do even in the administration of Divine things, by ſolemne deed, profeſſe and yeeld a ſpirituall Homage, to the ſpirituall authority of Lord Archbiſhops and Biſhops, which is vſurped. Ergo,
It is a ſinne againſt Chriſt the ſole head of the Church to have ſpirituall communion with the Miniſters of the Church aſſemblies of England.
The Propoſition may not be gaineſaid: For all ſpirituall power vſurped over the Churches of God, is an Antichriſtian authority, and to communicate with thoſe Miniſters which profeſſe ſpirituall homage therevnto, is to communicate with ſuch as profeſſe ſpiritual homage vntounto Antichriſt, which muſt needs be a ſin againſt Chriſt the ſole head of the Church.
The Aſſumption hath two parts:
1. That the Ministers of the Church of England do even in the adminiſtration of Divine things, by ſolemne deed, profeſſe and yeeld a ſpirituall Homage to the ſpirituall authoritie of Archbiſhops and Lord Biſhops.
Which is moſt evident, becauſe they preach the word and adminiſter the Sacraments by vertue of their calling received from the Archbiſhops and Biſhops, who give them authority herevnto at their ordination, ſaying to every one of them,*Book of ordering Priests fol. 14. Take thou authority to preach the word of God, and to Minister the holy Sacraments in the Congregation, where thou ſhalt be ſo appointed: Which things themſelves cannot deny to be meer Eccleſiaſticall, Religious and ſpirituall Actions, injoyned among them to be done by offices & callings received from the Prelates Eccleſiaſticall and ſpirituall authority: So as the doing of them by vertue thereof, muſt needs be a ſolemne declaration of ſpirituall homage yeelded to the ſame authority.
2. The ſecond part of the Aſſumption is: That the authority of their Lord Archbiſhops and Biſhops is an vſurped authority. The confirmation whereof, Mr Bradſh. ſetteth downe in theſe words following:
This is ſufficiently proved of late by Mr Iacob, in his 1. Aſſertion by many reaſons. OnelyOnly becauſe the weight of the Argument leaneth vponupon it, I will vſe one Reaſon.
Thoſe Officers & Rulers in the Church that make claime to be of Divine inſtitution, chalenge to themſelves Apostolicall authority and iuriſdiction as the onelyonly Succeſſours of the Apoſtles; to ſit onelyonly in Moſes chaire; To have ſole power of the Keyes; To cut from the viſible Church, and receive againe: To have power of creating & diſplacing all other eccleſiaſticall officers; To be the Vniverſall Pastors of whole Dukedomes and Kingdomes, vnderunder whom all other Pastors are as Curates, &c. And yet for all this, are ſuch as ſtand and are ſupported onelyonly by humane Traditions & Ceremonies, ſuch as a civill Magiſtrate may without ſinne, put out of the Church, and ſuch as the true Churches of God may renounce (and yet continue the true Church) as Antichristian Vſurpers & ſpirituall Tyrants: (I ſay) all ſuch Officers and Rulers exerciſe an vſurped authoritie in the Church:
But our Archbiſhops & Biſhops are ſuch Rulers and Officers as are aforeſaid. Ergo,
They execute an Vſurped power over the Church.
The Propoſition may eaſily be iuſtified. For if inferiour officers, vidz, vide licet Paſtors of particular Congregations, have had & may have firme continuance in the Church, without theſe humane deviſes and inventions; If the Magiſtrate cannot without ſinn put them out of the Church; And if thoſe can be no true Churches that renounce to have particular Paſtours and Miniſters over them, it muſt much more hold in ſuch Church-officers and Rulers as theſe are, if their authority be lawfull & good: For whileſt the Apoſtles lived, they needed not any humane Traditions and deviſes to ſupport their authority: The Magiſtrates that ſought to put them downe ſinned with a high hand: And that was no Church, that renounced and diſclaimed their Office, Authoritie and Iuriſdiction.
The Aſſumption is as eaſily juſtified. For 1. they make claime & Title to all thoſe Prerogatives before rehearſed in the firſt part of the Propoſition, and vntounto more then that, as ſhalbe proved if it be denied.
2. It is an Embleme of their owne NO CEREMONIE, NO BISHOP. Ergo, No humane Tradition and Invention, no Biſhop, Ergo, The office of a Biſhop is ſupported by them eyther onelyonly or ſpecially.
3. Their Eccleſiaſticall Iuriſdiction is derived from the King, els it is a flat deniall of his Supremacie. Alſo themſelves graunt in their laſt Tables of Diſcipline, That the King hath power to increaſe or diminiſh the Circuit of a Biſhoprick: That he may make two or more Biſhopricks of one, & one Biſhoprick to be two or more: Yea what ſhould hinder but that he may divide the Biſhoprick of London into 800. For where God hath not defined the number of Pariſhes that a Biſhop is to reign over, it muſt needs be a thing indifferent: In which by their owne Doctrines the King hath authority without ſinne, to diſpoſe. If therefore the King may as well (notwithſtanding any thing in the Law of God) give the Keyes of the Church to everie particular Paſtour of a Congregation, over his owne Congregation, as to a Biſhop over a Dioceſſe, which taketh away the very Eſſence of an Engliſh Biſhop, He may without ſinne take away the very Office of the Biſhop, which conſiſts in having juriſdiction over many Congregations. &c.
4. There is no true & ſober Chriſtians but will ſay that the Churches of Scotland; Fraunce, the low Countries, and other places (that renounce ſuch Archbiſhops and Biſhops (as ours are) as Antichriſtian & vſurping Prelates) are true Churches of God: Which they could not be, if the authoritie and prerogatives they claime to themſelves, were of Chriſt, and not vſurped. For if it were the ordinance of Chriſt Ieſus, that in every Kingdome, that receiveth the Goſpel, there ſhould be one Archbiſhop over the whole Kingdome: One Biſhop over many hundred Paſtors in a Kingdome, and all they inveſted with that authority and juriſdiction Apoſtolicall which they claime iure Divino, to be due vntounto them, and to reſide in them, by the ordinance of Chriſt, certainely that Church that ſhould renounce and diſclaime ſuch an authority, ordeyned in the Church, cannot be a true Church but a Synagogue of Sathan. For they that ſhould renounce and deny ſuch, muſt needs therein renounce and deny Chriſt himſelf. Thus the Aſſumption is cleared.
And thus the cauſe is yeelded, by themſelves: who in their owne writings ſpeak and reaſon in ſuch ſort, as hath ben ſhewed. Which I thought good thus to apply to their preſent eſtate, & further manifeſtation of the truth. And thus much cōcerning theſe Argumēts & Reaſons. Which now I leave to the conſideration of all that are of judgement and conſcience: exhorting them as they love the truth and their owne good,1 Theſ. 5.21. Pſal. 119.59 to try all things by the word of God, to conſider their wayes, and to turn their feet into his teſtimonies.
And I pray the Lord God of all glorie and goodnes, to diſcover and conſume the apoſtaſie of Antichriſt daily more and more; to make the light and power of the Goſpell of Chriſt ſhine forth and prevaile againſt all enemies and hinderances; & to give his people of all eſtates and nations to walk in the light and comfort thereof, to the praiſe of his Name, and eternall life, by Ieſus Chriſt: who is God overall bleſſed for ever. Amen.
Ier. 50.29.
Call together*the mighty many againſt Babel, all that bend the bow, beſiege her round about, let there be no eſcaping for her: recompenſe her according to her work, according to all that ſhe hath done, do vntounto her: for ſhe hath ben proude againſt the Lord, againſt the holy one of Iſrael.