Episcopacy by Divine Right Asserted, Section 2 – Section 4
§. 2.
The difference of the condition of forraign Churches and Divines, from thoſe of our Northern neighbours.
BUt firſt, ere we enter theſe liſts, let me adviſe you, and your, now-Maiſter, the faction; not to deceive your ſelves vainly with the hope of hiding your heads, under the skirt of the authority of thoſe Divines and Churches abroad, which retain that form of government whereto you have ſubmitted: For know, their caſe and yours, is far enough different. They plead to be by a kinde of neceſsitie caſt upon that condition, which you have willingly choſen: They were not, they could not be, what you were, and might ſtill have beene. Did any of them forſake and abjure that function of Epiſcopacie, which he might freely have injoyed with the full liberty of profeſsing the Reformed Religion? It is true, many Biſhops have beene faultie in their owne perſons, and condemned too juſtly of exorbitance, in managing their calling; but where the calling is (as it ſhould be) ſevered from theſe exceptions to the perſon, did ever any wiſe man, or Chriſtian Church condemn that calling for it ſelfe? Yea, if the laſt Biſhop of Geneva had become a Proteſtant, aad conſented in matter of Doctrine to Calvin, Farret, Viret, have you or any man living juſt cauſe to think that the Citie would not gladly have retained his government ſtill, and thought themſelves happy under ſuch a protection? would they have ejected him as an enemy, whom they might have enjoyed as a Patron? Would they have ſtood upon his Epiſcopacie, whiles they had his concurrence in the truth of Religion? No man that hath either braine or forehead will affirme it; ſince the world knowes the quarrell was not at his dignitie, but at his oppoſition to the intended Reformation: But becauſe this is only a ſuggeſtion of a then-future-conditionate contingencie, and may perhaps meet with ſome ſtubborn contradiction, heare what Calvin himſelfe ſaith for himſelfe, and his Copartners.Calvin de neceſſit. Eccleſ. Reformandae. Talem ſi nobis hierarchiam exhibeant, in qua ſic emincant Ep…ſcopi ut Chriſto ſubeſse non recuſent, ut ab illo tanquam unico capite pendeant, & ad ipſum referantur, &c. tum vero nullo non anathemate dignos fatear, ſi qui erunt, qui n…n eam rev renter ſummáque obedientia obſervant, Cited alſo as approved by Chamier, De membris Eccleſ. Lib. 4. Cap. 1.
If they would, ſaith he, bring unto us ſuch an Hierarchie, wherein the Biſhops ſhall ſo rule, as that they refuſe not to ſubmit themſelvs to CHRIST, that they depend upon him, as their only head, &c. then ſurely if there ſhall be any that ſhall not ſubmit themſelves to that Hierarchie reverently, and with the greateſt obedience that may be, I confeſſe there is no Anathema of which they are not worthy. Thus he, in the treatiſe of the neceſsity of reforming the Church. Do you heare your Doome from your owne Oracle? Loe, ſuch, and no other, was that Hierarchie, wherein you lately bore a part, and which you have now condemned; make account therefore of the merit and danger of Calvins juſt Anathema. Interea tamen, Eccleſiae authoritatem vel paſt… rum & Superintendentium, quibus Eccleſiae r… gendae provin…a mandata eſt, ſublatam n…lumus. Fatemur ergo Epiſcopos ſiv… Paſtores r…v… renter au…iendos qua…enus pro ſuae functionis ratione verbum Dei docent Confeſſ. Fidei nomine Gall. Eccleſ.Yet againe, the ſame Authour in his Confeſsion of Faith, written in the name of all the French Churches, ſpeaking of the depraved eſtate of the Roman Church, then in the fieri of Reforming, plainly writes thus; Interea tamen; Yet in the meane time, we would not have the Authority of the Church, or of thoſe Paſtors, or Superintendents, to whom the charge of Governing the Church is committed, taken away; we confeſſe therefore, that theſe Biſhops, or Paſtors are reverently to be heard, ſo farre forth as according to their function, they teach the Word of God. And yet more plainly.Sanè ſi veri Epiſ…opi eſſent, aliquid iis in hac parte auth ritatis tribuerem, non qua tum ſibi poſt…lant, ſed quantum ad politiam Eccleſiae ritè ord nandam requiritur. Calv. Inſtit. l. 4. c. 10. Certainely (ſaith hee, ſpeaking even of Popiſh Biſhops, if they were true Biſhops) I would yeeld them ſome authority, in this Caſe, not ſo much as themſelves deſire, but ſo much as is required to the due ordering of the Policie, or Government of the Church. Laſtly, (for it were eaſie to heap up this meaſure) in an Epiſtle of his, wherein the queſtion is purpoſely diſcuſſed, what is to be done, if a Popiſh Biſhop ſhall be converted to the reformed Religion; he ſo determines it; That it is fit ſuch an one firſt renounce his Popiſh power of ſacrificing, and profeſſe to abſtaine from all the ſuperſtitions and foedities of the Romiſh Religion; then that he muſt doe his utmoſt endeavour, that all the Churches which belong to his Biſhopricke, may be purged from their Errours and Idolatrie; and at laſt concludes, that both his poſseſsions and authority too, ſhould be left him: By vertue whereof he muſt take order that the Miniſters under him do duly preach Gods Word, as himſelfe alſo muſt doe. Thus he, wiſely and moderately: Not firſt of all ſtripping him of his Epiſcopall power, and diſcharging all his Clergie of their reſpects and obedience to him, and reducing him to the rank of the meaneſt Plebeian Presbyter, as ſome hot heads would have done. You heare how judicious and moderate Calvins opinion was then; and had he been in your late pretended Aſſembly at Glaſgow, or this of Edinburgh, what vote he would have given: Had he had the caſting voice, your Coat had not been caſt for him: How happy were it for your Churches, if all among you who ſo much honour his name, would as readily ſubmit to this his judgement: Sure I am, had it been ſo with you, you had been as far from defying Epiſcopacie in holy profeſſors, as you are now from truth and peace.
§ 3.
The judgement of the German Reformers, concerning the retaining of Epiſcopacie.
ANd that the French Reformers may not herein bee thought to goe alone, take notice I beſeech you, what the Germane Divines of the Ausburgh-Confeſsion, have freely profeſſed to this purpoſe. Who taking Occaſion to ſpeake of Canonicall Ordination, break forth into theſe words following; Sed Epiſcopi, &c. But the Biſhops (ſay they) do either force our Prieſts to diſclaime and condemne this kind of Doctrine, which we have here Confeſſed; or by a certaine new and unheard of kind of Cruelty put the poore and innocent ſoules to death: Theſe cauſes are they, which hinder our Prieſts from receiving their Biſhops; ſo as the crueltie of the Biſhops is the Cauſe, why that Canonicall Government or Policie,Quam nos magnopere conſervare cupiebamus. which we earneſtly deſired to conſerve, is in ſome places now diſſolved: And not long after in the ſame Chapter; Prorſus hic iterum, &c. And now here again we deſire to teſtifie it (to the world) that we will willingly Conſerve the Eccleſiaſticall and Canonicall government, if only the Biſhops will ceaſe to exerciſe Cruelty upon our Churches. This our will ſhall excuſe us before God, and before all the world, unto all poſterity, that it may not be juſtly imputed unto us, that the Authority of Biſhops is impayred amongſt us; when men ſhall heare, and read, that we earneſtly deprecating the unjuſt cruelty of the Biſhops, could obtaine no equall meaſure at their hands. Thus thoſe learned Divines and Proteſtants of Germany; wherein all the world ſees the Apologiſt profeſſeth for them, that they greatly deſired to conſerve the government of Biſhops; that they were altogether unwillingly driven from it; that it was utterly againſt their heart, that it ſhould have beene impaired or weakened; That it was onelyonly the perſonall crueltie and violence of the Romiſh Perſecutors in a bloody oppoſition to the doctrine of the Goſpell, which was then excepted againſt: To the ſame purpoſe is that,Camer. in vita Melancth. which Camerarius reports concerning thoſe two great Lights of Germany, Melancthon and Luther: That Philip Melancthon not only by the conſent, but the advice of*Who profeſſeth alſo ſo much in the Smalcaldian Articles. Art. 10. Luther perſwaded the Proteſtants of that time, that if Biſhops would grant free uſe of the true doctrine, their ordinary power and adminiſtration over their ſeverall Dioeceſes ſhould be reſtored unto them. And the ſame Melancthon in an Epiſtle to Luther hath thus;Melanct. Epiſt. Luthero. You do not believe in how great hatred I am, both with the Noricians, and I know not whom els for reſtoring to the Biſhops their juriſdiction: and in a moſt true cenſure in his hiſtory of the Auguſtan Confeſsion;Melanct. Camerario hiſt. Conf…ſ. August per Chytraeum. Hoc autem malè habet quoſdam immoderatiores, reddi juriſdictionem, reſtitui politiam Eccleſiaſticam; This, ſaith he, troubles certaine immoderate men, that juriſdiction is re-delivered to the Biſhops,Buc. de Regno Chriſti. He that deſires to ſee more teſtimonies of this kinde, I refer him to the Survay of Diſcipl. chap. 8. and their Eccleſiaſticall policie reſtored. As for Bucer, he is noted, and confeſſedly acknowledged for a favourer of Religious Epiſcopacie.
See now I beſeech you, how willing theſe firſt reformers were to maintaine and eſtabliſh Epiſcopall government, how deſirous to reſtore it, how troubled, that they might not continue it. Might they have enjoyed the Goſpell, they would have enjoyed Epiſcopacie: In whoſe ſteps then do you tread whiles you defie it? Certainly if the Genevian and Germane Prelacie would have but tolerated a Reformation of the Papall corruptions, there had never been either a parity of Miniſters, or a Lay Preſbyter in the world to this day.
§. 4.
The atteſtation of famous Divines abroad to our Epiſcopacie.
WHat ſhould I need to preſſe you with thoſe Atteſtations of high reſpect which the moſt eminent Divines of forraign Churches have ever wont to give to our Epiſcopacie.Beza Reſp. ad Sarav. p. 111. Vid. Surv. Diſcipl. p. 135. To begin with Beza (though a truer back-friend to the Hierarchy, than his cooler Predeceſſour) yet this he can ſay for ours; If now the reformed Churches of England underpropped with the Authoritie of Biſhops and Archbiſhops do hold on, as this hath happened to that Church in our memory, that ſhe hath had men of that calling, not only moſt notable Martyrs of God, but alſo excellent Paſtors and Doctors, Fruatur ſanè iſtâ ſingulari Dei beneficentiâ, quae utinam illi ſit perpetua; Let her in Gods name injoy this ſingular bounty of God, which I wiſh ſhe may hold for ever. As for learned and moderate Zanchius, he hath ſpent his judgement ſo freely on our part, that he confeſſeth, A certaine great man (and we gheſſe whom he meanes) took exceptions at his favour of Epiſcopacie. Let me (not without the profeſsions of my deare reſpects to my ancient and worthy friend, D. Molinaeus) tell you what he heartily writes to our late-admirable Biſhop of Wincheſter, P. 3 Molin. Ep. 3 Reverendiſſ. viro; Praeſuli digniſſimo; D. Epiſc. Winton.Egóne malè vellem Ordini vestro, &c. What? that I ſhould have an ill conceit of your Order? of which I never ſpake without honour; as who doe well know, that the reſtauration of the Engliſh Church and everſion of Popery, next under God and your Kings, is chiefly to be aſcribed, and owed to the learning and induſtry of your Biſhops; ſome whereof, being crowned with Martyrdome, ſubſcribed the Goſpell with their blood; whoſe writings we have; whoſe acts and zeal we record, as no whit inferiour to the beſt of Gods ſervants, which France, or Germanie hath yeelded; he that denies this, is either wickedly fooliſh, or envious to the glory of God, &c.
What ſhould I need to thicken the aire with clouds of witneſſes? There is witneſſe enough in the late Synod of Dort; when the Biſhop of Landaffe had in a ſpeech of his, toucht upon Epiſcopall government, and ſhow'd, that the want thereof gave opportunities to thoſe Diviſions, which were then on foot in the Netherlands: Bogermannus the Preſident of that Aſſembly, ſtood up, and in a good allowance of what had beene ſpoken; ſaid; Domine, nos non ſumus adeò foelices; Alas, my Lord, we are not ſo happy: neither did he ſpeake this in a faſhionable Complement (neither the perſon, nor the place, nor the hearers were fit for that) but in a ſad gravitie, and conſcionable profeſsion of a knowne truth; neither vvould he, being the mouth of that ſelect Aſſembly, have thought it ſafe to paſſe thoſe vvords, before the Deputies of the States, and ſo many venerable Divines of forraigne parts (beſides their ovvne) if he had not ſuppoſed this ſo cleare a truth, as that Synod vvould neither diſreliſh, nor contradict. What doe I ſingle out a fevv? All the vvorld of men, judicious, and not prejudiced vvith their ovvne intereſts, both doe, and muſt ſay thus, and confeſſe vvith learned Caſaubon, Fregevill, and Saravia, that no Church in the vvorld comes ſo neare to the Apoſtolike form, as the Church of England: And are you vvearie of that Condition vvhichwhich other good and vviſe men proclaime happy? Do you dote upon that, vvhichwhich they vvould be glad to change?