good as the former and no better For what Laws of the Realme doth he account just Those that crosse any Prelaticall practises and Antichristian lawlesse courses of his Spirituall Courts Surely those are not to be ranked among the just Laws of the Realme those must needs be unjust Laws which are made to restraine the Infolencie and Lawlesse proceedings of Prelaticall Courts Which is the reason that now of late under this Archprelate Prohibitions out of the Kings bench to the High-Commission are so gueason so well Schooled are both Lawyers to move and Judges to grant any such thing Thus the Prelates practises are a sufficient Commentary of his owne words So as the Summe of this his whole passage is That his Church of England must submit her beliefe to her Arch Bishops and Bishops as visible Iudges left by Christ to governe and to determine all matters of difference in point of Faith and Religion and that according to Scripture too so farre as they crosse not her own Canons and those of the Catholicke Church wherein England and Rome are one and the Same one Church of one Faith of one Religion And all this if we may beleeve her Metropolitan the Church of England beleeves O miserable Church CHAP. IIII. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate in his Booke touching the Authority of his Hierarchie are met withall and confuted by evidence of Scripture IN his * Epistle Dedicatory he hath these words She the Church of England practises Church-Government as it hath been in use in all Ages and all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both in and ever since the Apostles times and yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline So he A bold Speech and the more bold because most false and hath nothing but his bare Ipse dixit his naked affirmation as Authority sufficient Whence I note sundry particulars First that he calleth the Hierarchie or Ecclesiasticall Government therof the Church of England A thing familiar with Prelates to make themselves the Church And such a Church as that of Rome the Pope and his Priests or Prelates are the Church as themselves affirme Whereas indeed as Iunius hath well distinguished â— they are not the Body it selfe of the Church but â—â—ennes or swellings grown up and so incorporated into the Body as overspreading it like a Leprosie it assumes the denomination of the Body And such are Prelates who in the Church of England are Strumae great swellings like the Kings Evill which are commonly next the Head or about the necke in the most principall parts of the Body Onely in this they will not be called the Kings Evill because they claime their Originall from Christ as before is noted and therfore though they be but certaine Abscessus or Apostemes and so indeed Apostatâ—s from the true Church of Christ which not onely deforme the Body but greatly in danger the life thereof yet the name of Church they challenge in peculiar to themselves But surely the true Church of Christ in England disclaimes communion with such a false Church as the Hierarchie calls it selfe Secondly he saith that his Church or Prelaticall Government hath been in all Times and Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting Here he finely excludes all the Protestant Reformed Churches as no Churches of Christ because they have weeded out those * bittet roots whereby many are defiled and rooted up those plants ‡ which our heavenly Father hath not planted to wit all Prelates with their Hierarâ—hicall Government which being rooted out of those Churches the Gospell blessed be God and so the true Church of Christ hath taken the deeper and firmer rooting and brought forth the more abundant ‡ fruits of holinâ—sse But the Prelate in thus unchurching all true Reformists is as good as his word which he openly spake at Dr. Bastwicks Censure in High-Commission saying The Protestant Churches beyond the Seas were no Churches as having no Bishops calling Calvin a plaine Rascall But so long as those Churches have the true Bishops namely Orthodox and Sound Pastors to feed their severall â—locks it is not the Arch-prelate that can so easily degrade them from being Christs true Churches as he can deprive those Ministers both of Ministry and Meanes who are obnoxious to his Church-Goâ—ernment Thirdly where he saith that his Church-Government hath been in use in all Ages and in all Places where the Church of Christ hath taken any rooting both In and ever since the Apostles times although this be most false yet were it true it would not therupon follow that this his Church-Government is either Apostolicall or jure divino or from Christ For first every thing that hath been in use in the Apostles times and in the true Church of Christ is not therfore Apostolicke or such as the true Church of Christ alloweth of For we read that the Mistery of Iniquity began to worke in the Apostles times and even then there were § many Antichrists and that in the very midst of the Church in those dayes †And if Prelates shall prove to be those Antichrists which the Apostles detected and described by their qualities as will appeare anonâ— then because such Antichrists were extant and their Church-Government in use in the Apostles times will the Prelate therfore conclude such were Apostolicke and had their Originall jure divino Secondly neither can the Prelate ever prove that his Prelaticall Government as now of later and of long time it hath been is any thing like to the Church-Government exercised by those who took upon them to be the first Diocesan or Provinciall Bishops in those ages succeeding the Apostles He that shall read the Centuries Catâ—lagus Testiunâ— veritatis and other true Church Stories shall find as vast a difference between those poore ancient Bishops both in their manner of life and Church-Government and the moderne Prelotes since Antichrist mounted aloft in his Pontificalibus as the * Poet makes between the Silver Age and the Iron Age or as the ‡ Prophet shews between the brazen brest of the Image of the Babylonish Empire and the feet mixt of iron and clay And that Image may well resemble the State of the Spirituall Babylon or Hierarchy which had its rise of simple and small beginnings but by degrees Successively it grew and got strength and both height and bredth and so became at length of a blind Brooke a goodly navigable River so as the Church turned a City of Traffique and Trade in all worldly pleasures and riches as Babylon is described Revel. 18. and so the more worldly it grew the more wicked proud tyrannicall lordly and imperious and of a Militant Church turned Triumphant as the Prelate himselfe saith of Rome so as now the Church Government of the Prelates in regard of their great Courts and Consistories and doing all things without the Presbyteryâ— is as much unlike that ancient
LORD BISHOPS NONE OF THE LORDS BISHOPS OR A SHORT DISCOVRSE WHERIN IS PROVED THAT PRELATICALL JURISDICTION IS NOT OF DIVINE Institution but forbidden by Christ himselfe as Heathenish and branded by his Apostles for Antichristian wherin also sundry notable passages of the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury in his late Booke Intituled A Relation of a Conference c. are by the way met withall MATH 20. 25 26. Iesus said to his Disciples ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you But whosoever wil be Great among you let him be your Servant 1 Joh. 2. 18 19. Even as there are many Antichrists They went out from us but they were not of us BERN. Praelati Pilati non Pastores sed Impostores Printed in the Moneth of November 1640. TO THE HIGH AND HONOVRABLE COURT OF PARLIAMENT THE NOBILITIE AND GENTRIE NOVV Assembled in both the Houses Grace Mercy and Peace be multiplyed MOST Noble Senare and right worthy Pattiots who both feare your GOD and honour your King He who truly honours you and dayly prayes for a blessed successe of this your Meeting humbly presents you here with a Cause which well weighed in your maturest judgements may prove one of those greatest Parliament Businesses which your most pious and prudent thoughts and Consultations are taken up withall When you have perused this short Discourse concerning Prelaticall Authority whence it is and if it shall appeare by cleare evidence of Scripture justly compared with their Prelaticall properties and practises that they are the Seed of Antichrist the Mystery of Iniquity a more then Heathenish Tyranny over Soules bodies and estates a meere enmity but under the veile of Hypoerisie against Christ against his Word against his Ministers against his People and the Salvation of their Soulee yea against the peace and prosperity of Civil States by their Factious and Seditious practises and the like Your Wisdome your Piety your Zeale for GOD your Love to Christ your Loyalty to your King your tender compassion towards your poore Country your Christian care of your own Soules and of your Posterities will all of them call and cry for a serious Consultation and a speedy resolution what is to be done herein as you shall apprehend the Prosperity or Calamity of this whole Church and State and the happy or miserable issues of Parlliaments to depend upon it A word to the wise What I would further say I will turne into continuall Supplication to the Great President of Councels JESUS CHRIST that he will send his Spirit of Wisdome and Vnderstanding the Spirit of Councel and Might the Spirit of Knowledge and the Feare of the Lord that Antichrists throne being quite cast out and Christs alone set up the King may be established in perpetuall Peace and Prosperity to himselfe and Royall Posterity 'till the coming of Him who shall put an end to Times and Kingdomes and with whom all that truly serve him here shall raigne for evermore Your Honours and Worships faithfull Orator till death LORD BISHOPS NONE OF THE LORDS BISHOPS CHAPTER 1. Of the State of the Question Whether Bishops be de jure divino of divine Authority OF Bishops or Episkopoi Episcopi so called so commended in Scripture we doubt not but they are de jure divino But what are those Bishops Not Diocesan Lord Bishops so commonly called For of such we no where read of in Scripture as we shall fully prove anon But those whom the Scripture calleth Episcopos are Presbyters or Ministers of the Word lawfully Called and set over their severall Congregations respectively Such onely are Bishops jure divino But as for such as are Katagrestikoes abusively styled Bishops to wit Diocesan or Lord Bishops there is not so much as any one footstep of them in the Scripture And therfore as these have not the true Nature and Calling of a Scripture-Bishop So neither ought they to usurpe the Name and Title of Bishop But as they are of humane invention and institution onely yea of humane presumption as old Father Hierome saith and not of divine Institution So let them be known by such Titles onely as man hath given them as namely Prelates c. Prelati or Prelates are so called because they are preferred or rather preferre them selves before and above others that are GODS Ministers And thus they participate of the Prelacie of the Great Antichrist who is that * supereiromenos as the Apostle styles him he that exalts himselfe above all that is called God He is also called in the same place o a'ntikeÃmenos that Adversary called by Iohn o AntÃkristos that Antichrist to wit that Adversary against Christ And agreeable hereunto is that other Title of Prelates namely Antistes in the Latine which they interpret a witnesse but it may rather be derived from the Greek Anti is not a Latine Preposition but Greeke and signifies against So as Antistes is one that stands against and it may answere to Antistasiastès one of the adverse Faction or on the contrary side as all Prelates are Antistasiastai adversaries against Christ or Antichrists which you will as will further appeare But we will content our selves with the Title of Prelate in this our whole insuing discourse as being none of the Scripture-Bishops Now concerning Prelates the learned Papists themselves are not cannot be resolved that they are jure divino of divine institution immediately but onely at the most mediately deriving their Prelacie from the Pope as all his Canonized Saints doe their Saint-ship saying that the Pope hath his Supremacie jure divino both as Christs Vicar and Peters Successor but all Prelates derive their Prelacie from no further a Fountaine then the Pope as from the well-head or the Head of the Hierarchicall body which gives them their lively motion as the Head to the naturall members This very point of Prelaticall Jurisdiction was canvased and controverted in the Councel of Trent and held by some learned there to be but jure Pontificio by Pontifician Authority resident in the Pope whom therefore they call Patrem Patrum the Father of Fathers as being the Father of the whole Paternity of Prelates And our Prelates of England may remember that till Hen. 8. cast the Pope out of England the Prelates held all their Jurisdiction from the Pope and their Authority was but translated from the Pope to the King So as passing from one man to another it was meerly humane still And the great Primate the now Champion of the Church of England as he beares himselfe in his â—aâ—e Book his Relation of the Conference confesseth thus much That among these to wit ‡ Bishops in their severall Dioces as there he names them there was effectuall subjection respectively grounded upon Canon and Positive Law in their severall Quarters Where by effectuall subjection he meanes subjection of the Prelates in every Province to the
much St. Jerome tells us Though being none himselfe he was no great friend to Bishops And this was so seiâ—ed in the minds of men from the very Infancy of the Christian Church as that it had not been to that time contradicted by any So that then there was no Controversie about the Calling The difficulty was to accommodate their Precedenciesâ— And the ‡ Ordine Primus whereof there was a necessity falling to the Roman Prelate by reason of the Imperiall Seat this was the very fountaine of Papall Greatnesse the Pope having his Residence in the Imperiall City So he Now for Answere hereunto First for the Authority of Bishops or Prelats over the Inferiour Clergie as he calls it first he must prove their Calling before he can make good their Authority Now Prelates have no such Calling from God And the Apostle saith ‡ No man taketh this honour unto himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron So Christ glorified not himselfe to be made an High Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec But that the Prelates have no such Calling from God the Prelate himselfe as before is noted doth as good as confesse saying § Among Bishops there was effectuall Subjection respectively grounded upon Canon and Posuive Law in their Severall Quarters Ergo this was not jure divino And if not where is their Authority then And therfore as the Prelate saith of the Popes Supremacy in being the Sole Living Iudge in and over the universall Church †Neither saith he hath he power from Christ over the whole Church to doe it nay out of all doubt 't is not the least Reason why De Facto he hath so little Successe because De Jure he hath no Power given So I may say as truly of all Prelates who challenge to be the living visible Iudges as before is shewed which is one maine part of their usurped Authority over the Ministry that they have no such Power from Christ over their severall Diocese Provinces or Quarters to doe it nay out of all doubt 't is not the least Reason why De Facto they have so little Successe because De Jure they have no Power given According to that in the Prophet * Behold saith the Lord I am against the Prophets that steale my word every one from his Neighbour Behold I am against the Prophets saith the Lord that use their tongues and say He Saith Behold I am against them that prophecie false dreames saith the Lord and doe tell them and cause my people to erre by their lyes and by their lightnesse yet I sent them not nor commanded them therefore they shall not profit this people at all saith the Lord And this is the very case of the Prelates they are faise Prophets they steale Gods word from the people of God and instead thereof use their own word prophecying false dreames saying The Lord saith the Lord hath sent us we have our Calling and Authority from God over all Ministers we are the sole living visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion so as all must rest in our Iudgement according to our own Canons and Constitutions c. thus causing simple people to erre by their lyes and by their lightnesse yet the Lord hath not sent them nor commanded them they have no Calling and so no Power and Authority from God and therfore the Lord is against these false Prophets and because he hath not commanded them nor sent them therfore they shall not profit the people at all But Secondly the Prelate saith that his Prelaticall Iurisdiction over the inferiour Clergie was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church Now first for his Inferiour Clergie Clergie being appropriated to the Ministry is an abusive Monopoly and usurpation for all Gods people redeemed by Christ are his kleros his Lot or â—nheritance whereof the word Clergie is derived As Peter saith writing to the Presbyters ‡ Not as Lording over tâ—n kleron Gods heritage but as ensamples to the flocke So that the flocke of God are his kleros his heritage But to passe over this Secondly he tells us of an Inferiour Clergie he meanes his Priests and the rest as Archdeacons and so forth to the number of 7 Orders as they call them A rabble of Orders not unsutable to the Subjects of a Lord Prelate as being all of them of humane devise and institution of which their Hierarcâ—ie is made up another word of mans invention which some call rather ‡ Hierodoulia but what holy Orders Christ hath left in his Church we shall see anon Thirdly this was saith he a thing of known use and benefit Of the known use we have formerly spoken But now what 's the benefit Namely for the preservation of unity and peace in the Church How proves he this From S. Ierome who said That one was chosen over the rest in Sckismatis remedium to remedy Schisme in the Church But by the way these very words of Ierome doe argue that Prelates were of humane Institution for unus electus est one was chosen I â—rgo of men But lerome speaks more expresly which the Prelate wisely passeth over dry foot where he saith that Prelacy was set up humana praesumptione non Institutione Divina by humane Presumption and not by Divine Institution Well but had it that successe the Prelate speaks of Did it produce the fruitfull benefit of unity and Peaâ—e Or what unity Or what peace Indeed we find by wofull proof that this Hierarchy was the very egge of which the Cockatrice Antichrist was hatched so as the Hierarchy consisting of so many Prelates grew at length coâ—lescere to grow together into one Antichrists â—n body whereof the Ordine Primus came to be the head And herein unity and Peace are so conjoyned as they have made up one intire new Catholicke Church that whereof the Prelate professeth himselfe with the Church of England and of Rome and all other Prelaticall Churches in the world all other not Prelaticall as the Reformed Protestants beyond the Seas excluded as before is noted to be in all which this his Catholick Church as * elswhere he saith hath its existence Which Prelaticall Catholicke Church is the verâ—head and body of Antichrist Even as the Prelate tells us that the Ordine Primus the Roman Prelate having his Throne in Rome This saith he was the very fountaine of Papall Greatnesse So I may say The Prelacie or Hierarchie was the very fountaineâ— whenâ—e hath issued the maine Ocean of thâ—se ‡ many waters over which the Whore sitteth which though it be distinguished into many severall Seas of so many Prelates yes all make up but one Maine Sea as it were one Catholicke Church And this is that unity and Peace the benefit of both the constitution and preservation
the Lords day which is an open proclaiming of Warre against God against Christ against his holy Laws against all holinesse against our Christian vow in Baptisme against the good Laws of the Land and Acts of Parliament and against the very bonds of all Civill and Natural Societies And thus our Prelates are the most notorious Lawlesse men onely excepting the Grand Antichrist the Pope unlesse in some things they doe outstrip him that ever were in any Age of the world Further two wayes more doe the Prelates prove themselves to be o`i a'nomei those Lawlesse men As first in hanging the Keys of Scripture at their Girdle saying that the Credit and belieâ—â— of Scripture to be the word of God doth necessarily depend upon the Authority and Tradition of the present Church as the prime inducing cause to that belâ—â—f This our great Prelate in his said Book boldly affirmethâ— and often repeateth saying withall that the Scripture hath not light enough in it selfe is not sufficient to shew and prove it selfe to be the word of God So as the whole Authority of Scriptureâ— depending upon Church-Tradition and Authority is necessarily made subject to Episcopall Power and so consequently the Law of God contained therein shall not be Divine unlesse it please their good Lordships to give their good word for it and to make it of so much credit by the vote of their Authority and Tradition as that men may beleeve it to be Gods Law And upon this ground it is that if the Prelates shall pronounce the 4th Commandement not to be Morall for the sanctifying of a Seventh day yea the first day of the weeke for Sabbath and that Servants and Children are not bound to yeeld obedience to their Masters and Parents on that day in Case Civil or Ecclesiasticall Authority shall dispense with them to be free that day for their Sports then all men must be of their opinion that those Commandements are none of Gods Commandements The second way whereby Prelates doe shew themselves Lawlesse men is by denying the Scripture to be Iudge in Controversus of Faith For the said Prelate peâ—emptorily saith * I absolutely make a lawfull and free Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies by and according to Scriptures Which By and according to the Scriptures come in by the By and are meere Cyphers For by these words he either meanes That By and according to the Scriptures hee absolutely makes c. which is most false for by and according to the Scripture no Generall Councel is Iudge of Coneroversies Neither by and according to the Scriptures hath the Prelate power absolutely to make a Generall Councel Iudge of Controversies or els by these words he doth but cast a â—yst before his Readers eyes to make him beleeve upon the first rebound of his words that he makes Scripture the Rule for Generall Councels to determine Controversies by Whereas he meanes no such thing For elswhere he hath sundry speeches to the contrary as ‡ The Churches Declaration can bind us to peace and externall obedience where there is not expresse letter of Scripture and sâ—nce agreed upon And againe If there be a aâ—ealâ—usie or doubt of the sense of Scripture a Generall Councel must judge the Difference onely Scripture must be the Rule Now if Scripture be doubtfull and not cleare how can it be a rule to others to judge by But if Scripture be sufficiently and aboundantly cleare in it selfe in resolving of matters of faith for salvation how come men to take upon them to be Iudges But that the Scripture it selfe should be Iudge the Prelate in no case in no place of his Booke will allow of that Onely he confesseth that the Scripture is a * Iudge but without light Sufficient visible but not living not speaking but by the Church So as the Iudge he makes upon the matter both blind and dead and dumb As the ‡ Papists make it a dead letter and Leaden or Lesbian Rule that so they may set the Church above it to be Supreme Iudge Thus our Prelates if they will allow their Primate to speake for them have made the Scripture and so Gods word of no Authority in and of it selfe when it must depend both for its Authority and Sense upon the Church and that the Prelaticall Church or that Catholicke wherein the Church Prelaticall of England and of Rome are one and the Same Are not the Prelates then next after the Pope those Lawlesse men branded here by the Apostle under the name of that Lawlesse one We come now to the Sixth note of Antichrist in the Text which isâ—that he at God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Now the ‡ Temple of God properly according to the New Testament the ancient Temple of the Iews being abolished is the Soule and Conscience of every beleever or true Christian namely a Spirttuall Temple Now all that beare but the beare name of Christians as Papists doe doe also participate of the bare Name of such as are the true Temples and so in that respect Antichrist is said to sit in or upon or over the Temple of God For sitting argues a Seat Chaire or Throne which Antichrist sets up in the Soules and Consciences of all Papists Sitting and raigning as King over them in all matters of faith So as thus he makes himselfe a Spirituall Lord or King over them And thus by Antichrists sitting is understood his raingning as the Scripture doth often use this Terme as Revel. 17. 1. 3. 15. and 18. 7. And so in other places of Scripture by sitting is understood raigning as Heb. 1. 13. 1. Rev. 1. 13. Now that the Pope doth thus set up his throne and sit and raigne in the Consciences of men who are the Subjects and vassalls of his Spirituall Kingdome himselfe cannot will not deny And he sits as God that is assumes and exercises that power and authority over the Conscience which appertaines to God to Christ alone And thus he makes shew that he is God as to whom God hath committed all his Power and authority unto As the Pope calls himselfe Vice-God Christs Vicar and the like usurping whatsoever Titles of Power Christ hath in the Scripture as we read of Leo 10 in the Councel of Lateran calling himselfe the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah and the like And Bellarmine blusheth not to say and therein to Blas-Pheme that what soever is attributed to Christ in the Scripture is communicated to his Vicar the Pope And thus is fullfilled that which Christ foretold * Many shall come in my Name saying I am or I am Christ and shall deceive many Thus for the Pope that man of Sinne that Sonne of Perdition who opposeth and exalteth himselfe abâ—ve all that is called God or that is worshiped that Lawlesse one that as God sits in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is Godâ— Now for our Prelates are they not herein
Arch-Prelate or Primate then he confesseth that Archiprelaticall Iurisdiction is grounded upon Canon and Positive Law and so consequently not upon the Holy Scriptures as being jure divino And thus much he confessed in open Court at the High Commission at Doctor BASTVVICKS Censure that no one of the Apostles had Iurisdiction one over another and so consequently not an Arch-Prelate over other Prelates jure divino but onely jure Canonico Positivo by Canon and Positive Law Arch-Prelates therfore have no Iurisdiction by divine Institution Or if he meane it of subjection of Ministers in every Diocese to their Prelates respectively that this also is grounded upon Canon and Positive Law though so he should say truly yet in so saying he should contradict himselfe as where he saith elsewhere That Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church universall Aristocratically by diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy As much to say rather by many Popes then by one And this saith he I beleeve to be true So as he makes it an Article of his Faith That Prelates are jure divino Yet but a little before in the same page it is not certaine that the whole Militant Church is a Kingdome for there are no meane ones saith he which thinke our Saviour Christ left the Church Militant in the hands of the Apostles and their Successors in an Aristocraticall or rather mixt government c. So as what others and those no meane ones Thinke the Prelate beleeves And the Government which some thinke and he beleeves to be Aristocraticall he understands to be Prelaticall which saith he is Aristocraticall or rather a mixt Government What meanes he by a mixt Government Namely partly Aristocraticall and partly Monarchicall for of those two he there speaketh His meaning then is that a Prelate is in part in Monarch But where doe we find that Christ thought it fittest to Governe his Church by Prelats that the Prelate is so confident to beleeve it It seems he is one of Christs Cabinet Counsellors that he is so intimately privie to his thoughts For surely Christ hath no where left the impression of any such thought of his in his written word But I suppose the Prelate doth but presume so or charitably beleeve Christ thought so Me thinks he should not so beleeve it as to write upon it I beleeve this is true But thus I say this faith of his overthrows the credit of his former Saying That Prelates with their effectuall Subjection are grounded upon Canon or Positive Law and so have no Authority from Christ as the Prelate a little before affirmeth of what force is his Canon For there speaking of the Pope he saith Nay out of all doubt 't is not the least reason why de facto he hath so little successe because de jure he hath no power given But how then is it that some few * pages before he saith that some one must be Ordine Primus to avoyd confusionâ— and he speakes there of the Româ—e Prelate It is then of necessity that there must be one Ordine Primus to avoyd confusion in the Catholick Church Militant which elswhere he makes to be visible and Hierarchicall or Prelaticall then did not Christ leave so much exprest in writing but to Canon and Positive Law But perhaps Christ thought it best and the Prelate so beleeves Thus we see here is nothing but Riddâ—es Ambiguities and Contradictions or Enterfeerings with our Prelate What course then shall we take for a cleare resolution of the Question That Prelates as themselves affirme are jure divino Certainly if they be jure divino they must shew good proofe for it in the written word of God And to this Rule we must hold them and to this onely For it were to tread an endlesse maze to goe about to prove a Divine Title or Authority out of the Volumes of humane writings or Ecclesiasâ—icall Histories They can tell us de facto what hath been but that Prelates are de jure divine that we must search for in the Sacred Records of Divine writ If there we find it well and good but if there it be not but the contrary then all humane writings are in this point to be rejected as of no credit or value Come we therfore to the Scripture which will clearely tell us what Christ thought of this matter CHAP. II. Wherein is proved That CHRIST expresly condemneth all Prelacie or Hierarchie as flatly forbidding it to his Apostles and Disciples MATH 20. 29 c. Then came to him the Mother of Zebedees children with her Sons worshiping him and desiring a certaine thing of him And he said unto her what wilt thou She saith unto him Gâ—ant that these my two Sonnes may sit the one on thy right hand and the other on thy lest in thy Kingdome But Jesus answered and said Ye know not â—hat ye aske Are ye able to drinke of the Cup that I shall drinke of and to be baptised with the Baptisme that I am baptised with They say unto him we are able And he saith unto them ye shall drinke indeed of my Cup and be baptised with the Baptisme that I am baptised with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it shal be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren But Jesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the â—entiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Servant Even as the Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many In these words as we see the mind of these as yet carnall Disciples So on the other side we see the mind of Christ and what he thought of Prelacy For Prelacy is that which they make such a solemne suit for They ambitiously affect Cathedram a Prelates Chaire or Throne they make suit to sit and that in the most prime Seat on the right and left hand of Christ And these two suiters were Christs Kinsmen Iames and Iohn A faire motive for promotion to a Prelacy For as the Saying is Dicâ—re vis Praestâ— De sanguine Praesulis esto Wouldst thou have Church Dignitee the Prelats Kinsman thou must be Or according to those old Verses Quatuor Ecclesias his Portis itur ad omnes Sanguinis Simonis Praesulis atque Dei Prima patet Claris nummatis altera Charis Tertia sed raris janua quarta patet Through these foure Gates all Churches wayes are trod Of Birth of Simon Prelate and of God The first for Nobles next for golden worth For Prelates Kin the third for few the fourth These two brethren would enter into the chiefe Cathedralls by the gate of Nobility as
All these things are mine and to those that will fall downe and worship me I give them that is All that will be Prelates and so will be my Servants in oppressing Gods Word in persecuting Christs Saints and Ministers in exercising their Lordly Iurisdiction over the Consciences of Gods people captiving them with manyfold ceremonies of will-worship to â—hâ— destruction of Christs Kingdome of Mans Salvation and of that liberty from all Spirituall bondage the redemption from which cost Christ his best blood to those I will give rich Prelacies goodly houses and Palaces a Princely Traine and Retinue a Lordly Revenew and all the pleasures and contentments which the world can afford And thus we have found out the very Source of this Egyptian Nilus the prime Author and Patron of all such Prelacie as falsely pretends its Title to be de jure divino yea even from Christ himselfe It followeth in the Text ver. 24. And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren Observe here of these Disciples as yet carnall some are ambitious and the rest envious For all of them before Christs Resurrection were ambitious of Prelacie as we read in the place forecited So as hence we may note that such as affect and are ambitious of Prelacie they are carnall men which savour the things of the flesh worldly minded such as the Apostle speaks of that § are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things They have a wisdome indeed but †such as is not from above but is earthly sensuall and develish as Iames speaketh And whereupon speakes he it In the former verse he had sayd If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not and lye not against the truth And this was the wisdome of these carnall Disciples they were ambitious and envious one against another yea they did a'ganaktein stomack and maligne one another in the point of Prelacy For ambition and envy are two inseperable twinnes like those of Hypocrates they are borne together live together and dye together And as Iames in the former place addeth For where envying and strife is there is confusion kai pan phaulon pragma and every evill worke Now to apply this to our Prelates what men in the world more ambitious of Prelacie and more envious one against another In those Primitive times at the first Councel of Nice what bundles and fardles of complaints did those Prelates bring one against another and all this arose from their ambition and 〈◊〉 each seeking precedency of his Sea before another And the fire was so kindled that had not Constantine the Emperour caused all the Bills of complaints to be cast into the fire together it had been enough to have set all the world in a combustion And the Prelate of Canterbury in his said Book confesseth * that the onely difficulty was to accommodate the places and precedencies of Bishops among themselves And afterwards what a hot stirre was between Iohn of Constantinople and GREGORY of Rome for the precedencie of their Seas and for the Supreme Headship it selfe And heretofore between the Prelates of Canterbury and Yorke for the universall Metropolitanship over all England But let us further hearken to what Christ saith But Iesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them But it shall not be so among you And Luke expresseth it thus The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authoritie upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so All is to one effect Which is Christ here forbids his Disciples to exercise any such Dominion or Auhortity or Lordship either over one another or upon his Church as Heathen Princes doe use over their People And this he applies to their ambition of Prelacie which Prelacie he samples and parallells with the Dominion Authority and Lordship which Heathen Princes exercise over their people These words of Christ are so expresse and full that Bellarmine hath no other Shift to ward off the blow but to say that Christ here forbids his Disciples the exercise of all Temporall Authority and jurisdiction such as Heathen Princes used but not of spirituall Dominion and Lordship Authority and jurisdiction over the Church But it is more cleare then the Sun that Christ forbids here to his Disciples all manner of Dominion and Lordship either over one another or over the Church of God as over Gods Ministers and People First for Lordship over one another the said Arch-prelate of Canterbury confesseth Christ gave them none And secondly for Lordship over Gods heritage the Apostles themselves afterwards both disclaimed in themselves and condemned in others as we shall see hereafter And by the way by Bellarmines own confession all Temporall Lordship or Government is condemned in Prelates But now for our Prelates Quo jure doe they de facto exercise such Authority and Dominion such Lordship and Jurisdiction over Gods Ministers and People as differeth nothing at all from the State of Heathen Princes This Christ expresly forbids to his Disciples and therefore such as doe it are none of his Disciples nor yet any of their Successors But they will say They are Spirituall Lords and exercise a Spirituall Lordship over the Church But this bare Title of Spirituall is too short a cloake to cover the nakednesse of so poore a shift They call themselves Spirituall when they are the most carnall men in the world Thus did those false * Apostles deceitfull workers transforme themselves into the Apostles of Christ Thus Antichrist himselfe whom the Scripture intitles ‡ the Man of sinne and the Son of perdition will salve all by Styling himselfe Holy Father yea Holinesse it selfe But to come a little more close and home to our Prelates those Spirituall Lords wherein doth their Spirituall Dominion and Lordship differ from that of Heathen Princes For first they assume the Title of Prince to themselves as the Arch-prelate in High Commission most bravely and boldly alledged Psal. 45. 16. for which he borrows Bellarmines Glosse Princes then they must be But what Princes Spirituall Nay by their Lordships favour they are Temporall Lords For how els come they to sit in Parliament cheek by jowle with the Princes and Peers of the Realme And do they not in all points beare the Image and represent Heathen Princes in their State and Dominion Have they not their Stately Palaces as they Have they not their Attendants and Officers of their House as they Doe they not goe in Purple and Scarlet Silkes and Velvets and fine linnen and faire deliciously every day as they Have they not their Courts and Officers their Tipstaves Lictors and Prisons as they And doe they not exercise their Authority without subjection to any
Church-Government of those Bishops of old as our moderne Prelates themselves are unlike them in manner of life for these are persecuters of the Gospel those were persecuted and suffered Martyrdome for Christ Thus it is false that he saith that the Church-Government now in England was in usâ— in the Primitive Church For to instance in one thing In those ancient Times Excommunication was not used for every trifle nor done in a blind Court nor denounced by a dumb Priest But enough of this Fourthly whereas he saith And yet the Seperatist condemnes her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline First as for the Seperatist as he calls him I thinke the Prelate with this his Book and other his Prelaticall practises hath made more Separatists from his Prelaticall Church of England then ever any that hath sit in the Chaire of Canterbury ever since his Predecessor Augustine first sate in it Nor doe I see how any Christian living in England can with a safe Conscience have communion with that Church which professeth as the Prelate doth in her Name to be one and the Same Church with Rome of one and the Same Faith and Religion Yea were it no more but that the Church of England professeth to be a Hierarchicall or Prelaticall Church which in that very respect is no true Church of Christ it were argument and cause sufficient to Seperate from her And that because Secondly he that is a true Seperatist from her for the former respects may justly condemne her for Antichristianisme in her Discipline For first She exerciseth She professeth no other Discipline but that which Antichrist the Pope and the whole Antichristian Romish Church exerciseth and professeth and that in all points Cap a pied from top to toe And this her Discipline is Antichristian as being of Antichrist and so against Christ and exercised in the maintenance of Antichrist For instance The Prelaticall Church of England hath lately found out a Discipline to censure punish imprison fine excommunicate degrade deprive and all these together him that shall dare to deny the Pope and Prelates to be jure divino Dr. Bastwicke did thus and so the High-Commission served him as aforesaid What Discipline then in the world can be more Antichirstian or more forcible to drive Christians from having any more communion with that Church which exercising such an Antichristian Discipline how can She shift off the just condemnation of Antichristianisme which they shall cast upon her Againe Secondly the whole Discipline of the Church of England as it is the Discipline which Antichrist and his Church exerciseth and therfore Antichristian So it is that which hath no footing but is expresly forbidden in the word of God as Antichristian and Tyrannicall For the Church of Englands Discipline stands most upon the imposition of sundry Ceremonies of humane invention and Antichristian observation which She presseth upon all mens Consciences and for default of Conformity layes grievous Censures upon them as Excommunication and the like Now all such Ceremonies so imposed both Christ himselfe condemneth * In vaine they worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men and the Apostle also throughout that whole Chapter of the Epistle to the Collossians doth charge Christians not to put their necks under any such yoake as whereby they are deprived of the benefit of Christs death and beguiled of their reward and spoyled of their Christian liberty and the like Againe the Prelates in imposing their Ceremonies are Antichristian because in so doing they usurpe Christs throne and therein fitting doe exercise a Tyranny over mens Consciences intolerable to be borne which if men will not yeeld unto they doe in as much as in them lyeth make them Anathemaes shut them out of the Church by Excommunication c. And lastly their Excommunication not onely in regard of the matter and cause for which it is namely because men will not renounce Christs service to take the Tyrannicall yoake of Antichrists Ceremonies upon the shoulders of their Consciences but for the very manner of it as it is used in the Church of England is a Discipline Antichristian as being against that form of Excommunication which is prescribed in the word of God and was practised in the Apostolicall Churches It was Christs rule Tell it to the Church that is to the Congregation and if the Offender will not heare the Congregation he is Excommunicate by and out of the Congregation And the Apostles rule is for such Offenders as deserve Excommunication * I verily saith he as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ Whence I note that Excommunication is a Solemne businesse not to be inflicted for every trifling matter much lesse as the Pharisees did who excommunicated all those that confessed Christ nor to be done in a blind Court and by a single soled Priest nor the Offender to be released for the payment of his fees or by way of committing or the like all which are practised in the Discipline of the Church of England But Excommunication must not be but for a great offence nor done but by the whole Congregation nor released but upon the publique repentance confession and promise of reformation before the said Congregation where the offence was given and by whom the penalty is taken off Therfore the Discipline of the Church of England in this case is wholly Antichristian Lastly forasmuch as Prelates doe necessarily draw after them a Traine of Ceremonies as a Chaine of so many links wherwith they captivate ensnare and enslave the Consciences of men as their Motto is No Ceremonie no Bishop for they goe inseperably together like Tobie and his Dogge and the Church of England in her Discipline and Church-Service is wholly captivated by the Masters of such Ceremonies the Prelates and some Ceremonies are such as even doe deny the Lord that bought them as namely Altars and their Service and all the Ceremonies imposed upon the Conscience deny Christ to be the onely King of his Church all these taken together what between the Prelates and between their Ceremonies the Church of England and her Discipline is become Antichristian and therfore no marvail if for this cause good Christians that have knowledge and make Conscience doe Seperate from communion with any such Church CHAP. V. Wherein some other Passages of the Prelate are taken tripping though he would run away with it That his Hierarchie is Jure Divino HE saith * For the Calling and Authority of Bishops over the inferiour Clergie that was a thing of known use and benefit for preservation of unity and Peace in the Church And so