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A85941
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The down-fall of Anti-Christ: or, The povver of preaching, to pull down popery. In a briefe treatise on 2. Thessal. 28. By John Geree, Pastour of Tewkesbury, in Glocester-Shire.
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Geree, John, 1601?-1649.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing G595; Thomason E157_17
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18,755
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26
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did as busily imploy it in stopping the mouthes of the faithfull Ministers As Prelates went up preaching went downe and they never left aspiring till not onely they did with Rome Magnitudine laborare but like force without counsell Mole rueâ—e suâ And in our owne experience we see them still aspiring and inhauncing their power Heretofore they were content to confesse kindes of government arbitrary and so to hold their office from the King who might appoint that or any other government but of late they assume to be Iure divino Heretofore they were glad of the protection of laws but of late they have beâ—ne bold to trample on them disdaining and not enduring prohibitions bringing in new Ceremonies and Canons at pleasure If therefore they should now be taken downe and cropt onely but have a root or being left they would in time find meanes to renew their strength and this affront would increase their stomack and it is to be feared their attempts against the preaching of the Gospell would be tho the more subtill yet never the lesse earnest and much more malicious Neither can it be expected to be otherwayes for when any thing exceeds the bounds which God hath set how should they know any other limits now God sure hath never advanced any Ministers to that power over their brethren to silence and censure at pleasure Christ censured affectation of superiority in his Apostles not ordained it he forbade Monarchical power amongst them as unsuitable to their function in this to be unlike the civill powers that were among the Gentiles therefore in exercising this sole power of excommunicating and depriving they keepe not the limits he hath appointed and in his steps tread his Apostles Saint Peter forbids Lordlinesse in Elders Saint Iohn noteth Diotrephes for loving preheminence and excommunicating those that crost his humour to obey the Apostles The Church of Christ is not to be without Governours and government but if we search the Scriptures we shall find that governing is not the chiefest operation in the Church nor are Governours the highest officers Rom. 12.6.7.8 The holy Ghost setteth Pastours and teachers above rulers So likewise 1. Cor. 12.28 Governments be in an inferiour place and where governing is conjoyned with Preaching preaching is esteemed the more honourable worke â— Tim. 5.17 and 1. Cor. 1.16 Preaching is so advanced by the Apostles as tho other ministeriall acts were nothing in comparison for Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach Such Prelates then as being advanc't to governing neglect preaching or because they are admitted to government exalt themselves over the Pastors and Teachers in the Church to suspend or inlarge at pleasure undoubtedly transgresse the rules and orders in the word and then no other limits can confine them if there be power to transgresse This therefore showes how unsafe it is by humane lawes to thinke to confine that power which hath transgrest divine without abolition and on the contrary how safe the abolition of it is for being it is not of God but against him rather abolition cannot displease God nor be inconvenient but most safe and acceptable Yet had there never beene any experience of this alteration in Church government or had the experience of it beene unprosperous there might be far greater scruple in attemptiâ—g it but when we see not onely an other government in all other reformed Churches but also the successe of that government to be much more usefull to the advancement of the Gospell and Kingdome of Christ there may be much more confidence in removing this last and greatest Let of preaching the Gospell Thus have I endeavoured to lay open the most soveraigne preservative against and most forcible destructive of Popery Preaching and therein I am sure I have not erred because the Spirit of Truth is my guide I have indeavoured also to discover the Lets of preaching and and to suggest some wayes of redresse wherein I stand in more need of candour for I may erre and need pardon I am short and need supply but if by these or other meanes preaching be advanc't I doubt not but Popery will be subdued daily and if Protestancy prevaile against Popery Protestants will undoubtedly prevaile against Papists when the spirituall holds of Anti-christ are throwne downe by the word the Temporall power of Anti-christians shall not prevaile against us God will turne his hand against our enemies But if we suffer preaching to goe downe and Popery to prevaile how just will it be with God to sell us into the hand of Papists which he in his mercy and goodnes ever avert To whom be glory for ever and ever AMEN As Christ saved the world by writing and tâ—aching of foure Evangelists so the Fiend casteth to damne the world and Priests fâ—â— letâ—ing to preach the Gospell by these foure By fained contemplations by Songs by Salisbury use and by worldly businesse of Priests Wickliffe in the Conclusion of his complaint to the King and Parliament FINIS
Church Whitaker in his Epistle Dedicatory of his answer to Duraus to William Cecill Lord Burleigh Lord Treasurer of England where he concludes thus Contra Pontificios parum aut legibus aut libris profici quo usque firmum atque id meum ministerium in ecclesiis constitutum fuerit We shall prevaile little by lawes or bookes against Papists unlesse in all Churches a fit and firme Ministry be appointed Here 's then the good old way to destroy Popery to set up powerfull preaching and godly preachers who may adorne that Doctrine by their holy lives which they deliver in the word of truth Let them then that are willing to pull downe Popery by this word be made wise walke and warre against Popery in this way and find successe It 's not the least sin of the State that this worke hath beene so much neglected and the preaching of the Gospell so little furthered that scarce one parish of six is provided of a Minister that is not either ignorant and not able to preach or idle and not carefull to preach or scandalous and disgraceth and makes powerlesse his preaching of the Gospell and this after so many yeares of peace and plenty wherein Churches should most of all be edified after so many gracious deliverances from Papists which were so many ingagements to plucke down Popery after so many Parliaments which have showed the height of wisedome and industry in providing redresse for the grieveances of the Common-wealth So that we have not wanted opportunity but hearts to this worke that this worke of Christ should be neglected so long and with such circumstances is sure an omission of no small guilt How can Christ but be moved with indignation against us that he is so little preach't among us who are so much ingaged to him This is then a sin that cryes for redresse not onely for it selfe but for the consequences of it least God deale with us as with the Jewes in Haggaies time for so long deferring the building of the Temple even blast and curse all our undertakings But God be thanked this is a season wherein direction is called for how defect of preachers may be supplied and therefore excitations may be the better spared or contracted The best direction I can give is by discovering the lets which must be removed before the want of preaching-Ministers can be supplyed and which being removed a supply cannot but follow Now they will appeare to be many and they such as no remedie seemes possible or at least probable to be had for them but by a Parliament As Let. 1 First the want of maintainance in many places which is so great and so caused that it cannot but hinder Gods worke and provoke the eyes of his glory It is not unknowne how in many places Tithes are impropriate and base wages allotted for the Incumbent is not this a let to learning and so to preaching Honores alunt artes and men are induced in their choise of callings by hope of benefit to be injoyed in them Even in rectified elections tho profit may not be the chiefe yet may it be a secondary incouragement for every man is to provide for his owne comfortable subsistance Hence then it is that many of parts decline the calling of the Ministery because Church-livings being rare are by that meanes also hard to be obtained whereas a man of any other calling may lightly set up any where And whence is it that so many of the basest of the people are Consecrated to be Priests as they call them but because in many places the stipend is so base non that is ingenuously bred Illam Ecclesiasticorum bonorum dissipationem cum detestando Sacrilegin conjunciaÌ„ te cum cum bonis omnibus deploramus sceluâ— universo terrum orbe commune Beza in respons ad Sâ—â—avâ— de grad Ministâ—or pag. ult or is sensiâ—le of any gifts in himselfe will unâ—ervalue himselfe so much as to accept so meane a place so that in such places there must be no Ministers or no better And this is as frequent in places of note as in inferiour villages And how comes this waâ—â— of meanes surely as I conceive by Sacriledg I have not yet learned to give it any other name for Tithes are paid which at first its most likely were appointed for the maintenance of Pastors to feed their soules who fed them but now they are alienated and must not this needs also first be Sacriledge For that being granted that Tithes are not due Iure divino yet were they holy because men had consecrated them to maintaine Gods ordinance tho not because God had set them apart by any Law and is it not a snare to devoure holy things To withdraw a thing which a man himselfe hath given to God stands not with that fidelity or devotion we owe to God but to take to our owne use what others have given to God is a case in the apprehension of grace or ingenuity some degrees worse than that which Nathan put to David If we had changed with God it had beene tolerable especially if we had observed the Law of redemption adding a fifth part to the value which we had taken away but to take away so much and leave so little its hard to say whether in the first Actors this Sacriledge or the neglect of Gods service the naturall effect of it be more dishonourable unto God or more accurst but both together cannot but move God to jealousie against us This Sacriledge at least in the greatest part of it if I mistake not had its rise from Rome The taking Anti-christ upon him this as one part of his anti-christian dominion to impropriate Tithes for the maintenance of Abbies thereby providing that the people should have ignorant Pastours that the blind might lead the blind and the better keep them in slavery to him and the Abbies hereby more inrich'd he might have creatures of power every where to uphold his Kingdome Now at the dissolution of the Abbies an action to be feared not so upright in the circumstances as just for the substance of it not onely the temporalities superstitiously bequeathed to the hurt of the Land but the Tithes given formerly justly and piously for to maintaine an holy ordinance of God a parochian Pastour were all taken away the evill and danger of that action being then not so easily espied by reason of corrupt affection and obscurity of those times And this was confirmed by Act of Parliament which inferreth a necessity of reformation from thence for that is the highest Court in this Land from which no appeale and therefore no redresse of this errour but by Parliament save what is voluntary Impropriations are now mens legall inheritances and to some their greatest to others their onely lively-hood therefore it cannot be desired that they should be restored without some satisfaction to the proprietary which onely a Parliament can provide for And me thinks there is a necessity