no words can be fitter than those spoken on the same occasion by our Saviour who had been sent by his Father after the Holy Ghost descended on him to Preach the Gospel which he had hitherto done by himself but being now to leave the Earth hereby he delegates this Work to his Apostles and sends them with the like Qualifications and Authority as he was sent by his Father Now as Elisha being to succeed Elijah in his Office was to have a share of his Spirit (z) 2 Kings ii 9. even so Christ gave to the Apostles his Successors the Holy Ghost that is the ordinary assistance thereof so far as was necessary in order to reconcile Sinners to God by preaching the Gospel For we must distinguish this first Mission for the ordinary Office of Pastors which was always to continue in the Church from that extraordinary Mission and Miraculous giving of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost after his Ascension That made them Apostles and gave them an extraordinary Authority necessary for the first planting of the Gospel which Office was to cease But these Gifts of the Spirit which our Lord gave them when he breathed on them were such as were necessary for them and all their Successors to the end of the World for so long in this manner our Lord hath promised to be with such as are called to be Ministers So that these Words Receive the Holy Ghost c. are properly used by us on the ordinary Mission of Pastors and so it is declared to be only so far as is necessary for the Office and Work of a Priest not to work Miracles or speak with other Tongues but in order to execute the several parts of the Pastoral Office viz. 1st For the remitting and retaining Sins 2ly For the dispensing of the Word and Sacraments As to the first we must observe that the Fathers generally explain this communication of the Spirit to be a granting to the Pastor the power of absolving such as are penitent and of denying absolution to the impenitent (a) Qui Spiritum Sanctum accepit solvendi peccata potestatem ligandi accepit D. Ambros de Poenit. l. 1. c. 2. Spirit Sancti gratiam acceperunt qua peccata dimitterent c. Hieron Hebid ep 150. T. 3. p. 233. Dicit Accipite subjicit Si cui c. hoc est Spiritus dimittit non vos Aug. Hom. 23. p. 103. and so our Lord himself expounds it for he adds to his giving them the Holy Ghost Whose Sins ye remit they are remitted c. Now this power of Absolution is one of the ordinary parts of the Sacerdotal Office as I have shewed before (b) See Compan to the Temple Part 1. §. 4. p. 43 c. And therefore when Christ made his Disciples Pastors he gave them the Holy Ghost to this purpose and a power to communicate it for the fame end to such as they did ordain to succeed them (c) Acts ix 17. 1 Tim. iv 14. 2 Tim. i. 6. because without this Power they could not rightly perform their Ministry We see that repentance and remission of Sins were always the main subjects of our Saviours and his Apostles Preaching (d) Mat. iv 17. Luk. xxiv 46. Act. ii 38. x. 43. xxvi 18. Now when hereby some were brought to unfeigned Repentance and others remained obstinate it was absolutely necessary the Pastors should have Authority to declare that the Penitents should be absolved by God to pray to him to pardon them yea and to comfort them further by pronouncing their Remission in God's Name and on the contrary to declare the Obdurate bound by the guilt of their Sins and liable to God's wrath yea to pronounce them Excommunicate out of the Church wherein Remission of Sins alone is to be had These Keys St. Ambrose saith Every Priest as well as Peter doth receive (e) Claves illas Regni Caelorum quas in B. Petro cuncti suscepimus Sacerdotes Ambr. de dig Sacerd. c. 1. and upon this Principle the whole Conduct of keeping Men under censures for longer or shorter time according to the degree of their penitence was committed to Priests by advice of their Bishops (f) Con. Ancyran Can. 2. 5. Bev. T. 1. p. 376 379. Item Theodor. poenit c. 43. p. 35. ibid. observ p. 113. by all the Primitive Canons and under the same Regulation they enjoy this Power at this day Now if any think it too bold for a Bishop to use the words of Christ I reply he pronounces them as God's Embassador as the Form it self declares In the Name of the Father Son c. he acts only Ministerially God gives the Spirit by the imposition of his hands with the Presbytery (g) Deus dat Spiritum Sanctum non enim humanum hoc opus Sed qui invocatur à Sacerdote à Deo traditur in quo Dei munus ministerium Sacerdotis Ambr. de Sp. S. l. 1. c. 7. p. 223. it is God's Gift conveyed by his Deligate which is the way that he chooses to bestow it for he could have given St. Paul the Spirit immediately when he called him to be a Minister but thought fit to send Ananias to him as the Text expresses it that he might he filled with the Holy Ghost (h) Acts ix 17. We have already shewed that the various Offices in the Church are distributed by this Blessed Spirit and why should we not believe with St. Leo that he who imposes the duty will assist us in the Administration of it (i) Qui mihi est oneris Author ipse fiet Administrationis adjutor dabit virtutem qui contulit dignitatem Dict. P. Leonis mag We cannot execute this Office to which the Spirit of God hath called us unless we do receive the Holy Ghost so that we ought not to doubt but God will by this Rite and these Words give his Holy Spirit when so many joyn to ask it upon so great and necessary an occasion (k) St. Luke xi 13. especially if the Parties put no bar to it by their unworthiness or unpreparedness to receive it Finally Some will have this Form to be no more than Optative and say that Receive the Holy Ghost implies only Mayest thou Receive c. But I think there is no need to strain the words because the plain import of them is very proper for God's Representative in this case as hath been already proved But whether we interpret them Positively or as a Wish let the Pastor firmly believe that so much of the Holy Ghost and his Gifts are now imparted to him as are necessary for the discharge of that Office to which the Spirit hath called him so much as will qualifie him to judge so rightly concerning remitting and retaining Sins that God may ratifie his Sentence in Heaven forgiving those he declares Penitent and condemning such as he pronounces Impenitent and this will make
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de Cambyse Xerxe Max. Tyr. dissert de Scien ita dicitur Romanos Dalmatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scil. pro Praesectis Xiphil vit Aug. p. 215. It is thy duty to feed them Spiritually by the Word and Sacraments and temporally by thy Table and thine Alms. It would be unpardonable in thee to prey upon them that thou should'st provide for therefore for Jesus sake devour them not by insinuating false Doctrines into their Minds by unseasonable Severities or infamous Oppression Far be this from thee who hast promised to be a good Shepherd and knowest the Scripture declares it to be thy Duty (c) See Ezek. xxxiv 4. and 16. to hold up and support the weak Christians and confirm such as are wavering in the Faith to heal the sick who are infected with ill Examples and their Souls smitten with Sin the worst of all Diseases (d) Morbi perniciosiores pluresque sunt animi quam corporis Cicero Tusc qu. l. 3. p. 358. Vid. Isai 1.5 these do thou take care to reform and cure bind up the broken hearted (e) Luke iv 18. who are in great trouble for their Sins or much dejected by their Sufferings these must be comforted If any have strayed but little from the Churches Communion thou must labour to bring again these Wanderers into Christs fold and not despise them as the out-casts that are unworthy of thy care Finally if any be utterly perverted or grown very wicked thou must not despair of their Conversion but enquire after and seek the lost Sheep and try thy utmost endeavours to regain even these poor Souls after our Lord's Example (f) Luke xix 10. You are also made chief Rulers in God's Church to punish the Evil and to amend them as also to encourage and reward the good (g) 1 Pet. ii 14. So that in your Acts of Jurisdiction and Government you must always make a prudent mixture of Mercy and Judgment as the Cases and Circumstances require And if you would quicken the better sort with hope and keep the worse in awe since hope and fear are the principles of Virtue (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. de liber educ p. 12. you must be so merciful and ready to pardon lesser and penitent Offenders that you be not too remiss when there is reason to punish either to bring the Sinner to Repentance or keep the Sin from spreading (i) Vitia transmittit ad posteros qui praesentibus culpis ignoscit Theodoric ap Baron An. 494. n. 38. Yet be sure when you are forced to censure an obstinate person you do so minister discipline with all tenderness to his Soul (k) Qui cum triste aliquid statuit fit tristis ipse Cuique fere poenam sumere poena suit Ovid. de Pont. l. 2. as to convince him that you forget not Mercy and are ready to absolve him upon his repentance These are the methods of the Lord Jesus and will please him so highly that when he that is the chief Shepherd of this Flock returns from Heaven and shall appear in Glory to reward his Faithful Servants you may receive from him not a sading Mitre with which you are now to be adorned but that which is infinitely more desirable even the never fading Crown (l) 1 Peter v. 4. His verbis clauditur Offic. Ordin ap Luther Lips 1624. Postquam defecere cuncti flores madefactus aquâ reviviscit hibernas coronas facit quoniam non marcescat Plin. de spicâ Amarantinâ Nat. Hist l. 21. c. 8. of Glory everlasting an abundant recompence for a few years labour Yet this he hath promised and therefore you may expect and we do beg it for you through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen CHAP. XI Of the concluding Collect. §. 1. AFter the Communion is over all the ancient Formularies conclude with a Collect as we do that of the Western Church in this place is very like ours in substance (m) Da ei quaesumus verbo exemplo quibus praeest proficere ut ad vitam cum grege sibi credito perveniat Sempiternam c. Pontif. Rom. p. 84. Leg. credito Only our Form is larger and expressed in the very words of Holy Scripture and especially in the words of St. Paul relating to his beloved and lately consecrated Bishop Timothy which cannot but be very proper on this occasion The particulars take in all the necessities and duties of one that is admitted to this Order the Expressions are so plain and the Method so clear that a brief Analysis and Discourse is all that is requisite because we have already Treated of the same things The Analysis of this Collect. The concluding Collect contains 1st A Preface directed to God the Father Most merciful Father 2ly Divers Petitions 1st In general for 1 Gods Blessing We beseech thee to send down upon this thy c. 2 His Holy Spirit And so endue him with thy Holy Spirit 2ly In particular as to 1 His Preaching That he preaching thy word may not only c. 2 His Example But also may be to such as believe a whole some c. 3ly His reward That faithfully fufilling his course at the latter c. 3ly A Doxology directed to Christ Who liveth and reigneth one God with the Father c. Amen A brief Discourse on this Collect. §. 2. Most Merciful Father we beseech thee to send down c. The providing and qualifying faithful Pastors to be set over his Flock is an illustrious instance of God's Mercy and therefore we call upon him by the title of most merciful Father He knows and pities the wants of all his Servants and those in the highest station having the most difficult Employment need the greatest assistance They may labour but all in vain unless God's Heavenly blessing crown them with success e otherwise they may complain (n) 1 Cor. iii. 6 7. with St. Peter that they have toiled Night and Day and taken nothing (o) S. Luke v. 5. So that our first general request for this Master-workman that is now just going into God's Harvest is the same with that usually said on such occasions The Lord prosper you we wish you good luck in the name of the Lord (p) Psal cxxix 8. But secondly we consider he cannot rightly perform any part of his Duty without an extraordinary assistance of the Holy Spirit which we therefore humbly pray for We do not question but he hath received the Spirit of God by the imposition of Hands as we noted before and therefore this second general Petition hath respect to the measure and degree of the Spirit which must be large in a Bishop who must be endued with so much Grace and so many Gifts of the Spirit as will enable him to Preach successfully to live exemplarily and to persevere even to fulfil his course No ordinary Portion of God's Spirit will fit a Man for all this
Collegue they prayed first (z) Acts i. 24. and tho' the holy Ghost had named Barnabas and Saul yet the Church of Antioch fasted and prayed before their Designation (a) Acts xiii 2 3. And Reason teaches us that application ought to be made to God in this case as well because these Persons are to be appointed his immediate Servants as because he only can fit them for this great work Wherefore all regular Churches have set Forms on this occasion only in the Scotch method the Minister who ordains is to direct his Prayer as God shall move his heart (b) Scotch Psalter by Mr. Knox p. 11. But doubtless a judicious Form like this of ours is abundantly better upon so solemn an occasion and how very fit ours is I shall now shew by the following Analysis and Discourse The Analysis of the first Collect. This Collect contains 1st A Preface of the Divine Institution 1. Of divers other Orders in general Almighty God who by thy divine Provedence hast appointed c. 2ly Of Deacons in particular And didst inspire thine Apostles to choose into the order of Deacons the first Martyr c. 2ly The Petitions for the Candidates 1. More generally for Mercy Mercifully behold these thy Servants now called to the like Office c. 2ly Particularly for 1. True knowledge Replenish them so with the truth of thy Doctrine 2ly Holiness of Life And adorn them with innocency of Life 3ly The Motives to excite 1. Us to ask viz. 1. Their right discharging of their Office That both by word and good example they may faithfully serve thee 2. The churches benefit by it To the glory of thy Name and the edification of thy Church 2. God grant these requests Through the merits of our Saviour Iesus Christ who liveth c. Amen A Discourse on this Collect. §. 3. Almighty God who by thy divine Providence hast appointed divers Orders of Ministers in thy Church and didst inspire thine Apostles to choose into the Order of Deacons c. 'T is a just encouragement to our Prayers when we know that we desire Gods blessing upon his own institution and not our invention Wherefore our business being to beg his favour upon us in this Ordination in general and these Deacons in particular the Preface properly sets out 1st That the variety of Orders among Ministers in his Church And 2ly This Order of Deacons had their original by divine appointment God in his Providence foresaw in every Age what his Church would need While Jesus himself was on Earth only two Orders were necessary the Apostles and LXX Disciples and those he ordained to these the Deacons were added by the direction of the holy Spirit And while the Church was in planting divers extraordinary degrees of Ministers were requisite for that difficult work wherefore when our Lord ascended up on high he received of his Father and bestowed on Men several other special Gifts to qualifie some as Prophets to interpret the Scriptures of the old Testament by the same Spirit they were writ others as Evangelists to write the Acts and Sermons of our Saviour and Preach them and his Doctrine to such Nations as had not heard of him (c) Ephes iv 8. 11. But when these extraordinary occasions ceased then these Orders which were only temporary expired also But still the Ordinary Ministers of the Church were to continue to the end of the World viz. The Bishops for the perfecting of the Saints by Confirmation the Deacons for the works of Ministration at the Altar and in disposing Charity the Presbyters for the edifying the Body of Christ by Preaching and Admonition (d) Ephes iv 12. Jesus foresaw these would be things always to be done and therefore these Orders were ever to endure which Original of all the various degrees and the suiting them to the Ages and Occasions of the Church is well expressed in the Old Western Collect where God's presence is desired on this ground because he is the distributer of Orders and prepares things fit for each Season (d) Adesto quaesumus Domine honorum dator ordinum distributor officiorumque dispositor qui sempiterna providentia praeparas aptanda dispensas c. Vid. Morin Par. 2. p. 263. Mabillon Lit. Gall. l. 3. p. 304. Rom. Pont. p. 25. and then dispenses what is so prepared e But 2ly Our business being now to ordain Deacons it is further observed that this particular Order is also of Divine Appointment for as the Apostles were inspired in other Acts so no doubt they were guided by inspiration in the choice of a new Order and the old Offices say expresly in another Prayer for a Deacon that the Holy Ghost moved them to choose this Order (f) Eorum gradu quos Apostoli tui sancto Spiritu autore elegerunt dignus existat Morin p. 286. Mabil ut supr p. 305. Pontif. Rom. p. 39. And herein also we imitate the Eastern and Western Offices both that we make especial mention of the first Martyr St. Stephen (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euchol p. 250 251. ita Clem. Constit l. 8. c. 25. p. 142. Syr. ap Morin p. 447. Copt ibid. p. 506. item Occident ap Morin Mabill p. 286 305. the Captain and Leader of the seven Deacons as well as of the noble Army of Martyrs the lasting Glory of this Order and the most accomplished Pattern that can be proposed to all that enter upon this Office for their imitation whose gifts were so great that he was able to convince or confound all gainsayers yet his humility was so signal that he submitted to the meanest Office of taking care of the poor and needy being equally to be admired for the holiness of his Life and his patience under a cruel Death for his mighty Charity to his Bloody Foes and his vigorous Faith in his glorified Redeemer Now all this was the effect of God's Grace which is sufficient also to make you that are now to succeed him in the same Order to be like him at least in some measure in these heavenly Qualities wherefore you ought to look at the lovely Copy here set you and resolve firmly you will imitate him as far as you are able praying heartily you may do so in the next words §. 4. Mercifully behold these thy Servants now called to the like Office and Administration Replenish them so with the truth of thy Doctrine and adorn them with innocency of Life 'T is natural for men to look kindly on the works of their own hands but God's are always very good wherefore he always delights in them where his Providence appoints an Office his Favour follows it of Course That which he directed his Apostles to do in ordaining Deacons we are now about and as he was gracious to those first elected we hope he will be so to those who are called to an Administration like theirs viz. to officiate under the Governors of the
had been crucified and now was risen again as he had promised Ver. 21. When therefore their Faith was thus confirmed and their Minds composed Then said Iesus to them I salute you again most heartily wishing Peace and all Happiness may now and ever be unto you For I now come to enlarge your Character by making you my Deputies and Vicegerents in the Ruling and Feeding my Church And that your Authority and Power may be equal to your Trust Behold As my Father hath sent me with his Spirit and in this Name to be the supreme Pastor of this Flock even so send I you with my Spirit and in may name (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sig. mittere cum potestate mittenti 1 Peter ii 14. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et missi Dominici pro judicibus Capitular Franc. passim to gather together instruct and preside over the Church in my absence as my Delegates and Representatives till I come again at the end of the World and I expect that all who believe in me shall receive and obey you as such for my sake who send you Ver. 22. And when he had said this to instate them into this Office he also made use of a visible significant sign And to shew the ability to execute it aright came originally from the Holy Spirit which he as the eternal Son of God had power to communicate he breathed on them for breath is an emblem of the Spirit called in Hebrew by the same name and was used by God when at the first Creation he put the Soul and Spirit into Man therefore when Spiritual power and Energy was to be put into these newly created Officers Jesus used the same Symbol and said unto them to explain the meaning of the sign Receive every one of ye the Holy Ghost and all his gifts that are ordinarily necessary for the discharge of this your Pastoral Office unto which I now admit you Ver. 23. And leaving you my Embassadors resident upon Earth I do commit to you and your Successors the Ministry of reconciling Sinners unto me upon the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace which I have established in the Gospel and no otherwise So that you shall not only have Authority by these Rules to declare what things are lawful and what unlawful but to judge of Persons and their Actions and if any have Sinned who truly Repent of it you may not only pray to God for them and according to the Gospel promises give them hopes of a Pardon But if you think their Repentance sincere you may Pronounce it and I will confirm it For whose soever Sins you remit in my Name and on my Conditions they are remitted and I will forgive them according to the tenor of my Gospel And on the otherside whose soever Sins ye judge are not sufficiently repented of and so you retain your power of Absolution and declare their guilt remains upon them such Men are liable to my final sentence for as to the Sins of these impenitent Wretches they are retained and I will not forgive them till they give better Testimonies of their unfeigned Repentance (g) Non praejudicamus Domino judicaturo quo minus si Poenitentiam plenam invenerit tunc ratum facit quod à nobis fuerat hic statutum Cypr. ad Anton. Ep. 52. You know I am appointed the great Judge of all and I who alone have the original power to Forgive or Condemn invest you with this Prerogative of loosing the Penitent and binding the Ostinate both to enable you the better to deal with all sorts of Offenders and to bring all Christian People highly to Reverence (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc your Office and greatly to regard your Censures and Absolutions A Paraphrase on the third Gospel §. 4. Matth. xxviii 18. After our Lord had often manifested himself to be risen again at Jerusalem the eleven Disciples by his direction went into Galilee to a Mountain probably Tabor where being assembled Iesus came as he had promised to take his final leave and spake unto them to this effect Having now gone through all the Stages of my Humiliation and perfected the work of your Redemption Now by vertue of the eternal Covenant between me and my Father All power and Authority is (i) Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lat. potestas given to me to Order Rule and Govern all things both in Heaven the Triumphant and also in Earth the Militant part of my Church Saints and Angels there and all Mankind here being subjected to me as their sole supreme Head Ver. 19. As to the upper and glorious part of my Kingdom whither I am now returning to be your Mediator there I will manage that in Person But you shall be my Delegates here on Earth Go ye therefore as my Apostles in my name and Teach the first Principles of my Religion unto all Nations in the World So as to convert both Jews and Gentiles to be my Disciples And when they believe my Doctrine and will promise to live by my Rules you shall solemnly admit them by Baptizing them with Water for remission of all their Sins using this Form I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost declaring thou art a Believer of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity and by that distinguishing Article receiving thee into Christ's Holy Church of which thou art now made a Member Ver. 20. As for those whom you have thus baptized you must take care that they understand and keep their Baptismal Vow by frequently Preaching to them and Teaching them conscientiously and strictly to observe all things whatsoever I have revealed to be a Duty and all that I have commanded you already while I was with you upon Earth or shall hereafter by my Spirit further enjoyn to you and them for keeping these my Commandments is the only way to eternal Life I foresee you will meet with many difficulties and much opposition in doing this and perhaps you may be troubled that I must leave you but go on courageously for lo though I am to remain in Heaven as to my Bodily presence yet as God I am Omnipresent and by my constant assistance and support you shall find that I am with you as long as you live and will be with your Successors always even unto the end of the World then I will come again in Glory to reward you and them for all your Labours in my Vineyard and all your Sufferings upon the account of me and mine Amen CHAP. V. Of the Arch-Bishop and the Oath of Canonical Obedience to him §. 1. RUbr And then shall be also ministred unto them the Oath of due Obedience to the Arch-Bishop as followeth It hath been fully proved by divers learned Writers That as soon as the Christian Religion began to spread over the Provinces of the Roman Empire the Bishops of lesser Cities were subordinate to those of
to enquire into all that is amiss both among the Clergy and Laity Which is called their Visitation with respect to their name importing Overseers and inspecters (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graec. Acts xx 28. The Emperor in the sixth General Council calls Bishops the Eyes of the Church and Isidore of Pelusium saith they should be all Eyes to see every thing (r) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orat. Imper. ap Bin. T. 3. par 1. p. 217. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid Pel. 1. Ep. 149. So that they ought to look well to every part of their charge and by their Arch-Deacons and their own strict enquiry to labour to find out all Enormities and Disorders within their Cognisance that they may apply suteable remedies to them Their frequent presence in these Visitations must tend to discover many Evils and their Authority will conduce exceedingly to amend them and thus the negligences and irregularities of the Clergy and all crimes of the people that are proper for the Ecclesiastical Tribunal might effectually be rectified and we become in this Sence a truly Reformed Church Nor will any thing more universally promote the suppression of Atheism profaneness and debauchery which pious design our gracious King and his Parliament are now intent upon than the restoring the Bishops to the full exercise of their Authority in these cases and reducing of personal Visitations to their Primitive use and Religious ends St. Agobardus kept his great Diocess of Lyon's in excellent Order as he declares by yearly going round about it and taking so strict care of all his People as to amend whatsoever he found depraved by the Rules of Truth and Holiness according to the power given him by God (s) Agobardi Epistol ad Nebrid oper Tom. 1. ediâ— Baluz p. 103. And the inferior Clergy of old were very serviceable in their places herein being then enjoyned to inform the Bishops in these Visitations of such as were impenitent toward God or cherished any notorious Sin if they could not bring them to repentance because of their secular greatness (t) Ut Sacerdos faciat Synodo innotescere si quem in parochiâ suâ in Deum reperit contumacem vel qui grave aliquod peccatum foveat nec hunc valeat audeatque ob metum secularium ad reformationem perducere Edgar Can. 6. ap Spelm. p. 448. Which is one of King Edgar's Laws and is more briefly exprest in the Capitulars that such as will not amend on the Priest's admonition shall be cited before the Bishop (u) Capitular R. Franc. Tom. 2. cap. 8. p. 97. To all which must be added the care of Parish Priests to instruct their Church-wardens in the nature of their Oath and the great benefit to the Souls of their Neighbours which will follow their impartial presenting all Offenders and Offences for the happy reforming of both as our own Canons direct The subordinate Ministers will find some cases too intricate for them to determine some Crimes too hainous and some Criminals too obstinate for them to deal with and these must be referred to the Bishops (w) Exod. xviii 22. Who upon such information are to proceed with all demonstrations of Paternal kindness (x) Amari Parens Episcopus debet non timeri Hieron Ep. 62. towards the guilty Persons for this from those in so high a Station will open their hearts to receive their Fatherly admonitions and when they see that their Spiritual Father loves their Souls and hates only their Sins and seeks their amendment not their shame this may prevent the necessity of a censure and so the Parties may be restored by gentle rebukes with all long suffering and by the Spirit of meekness (y) 2 Tim. iv 2. Galat. vi 1. Whereas if reproofs be given with Bitterness and Passion they commonly exasperate the offender and move him to reject the admonition and the means of his Salvation (z) Leniter castigatus exhibet reverentiam castiganti asperitate autem nimiae increpationis offensus nec increpationem recipit nec salutem Prosp de vit Contempl. l. 2. c. 5. Wherefore gentle methods ought first to be tried but if they be too weak to awake a Sinner that is fallen into the Lethargy of obduration then sharp reproofs publick shame and severe censures must be used (a) Titus ii 13. yea they must finally be cast out of the Church who will be a perpetual scandal to it as long as they remain in it These are the Rules of Scripture and the Laws of the Holy Fathers for bringing Sinners to Repentance and preserving the Church pure and doubtless we can find out no better nor do we need any new Orders if this godly discipline which is much to be wished were universally restored This did keep the Primitive Church Holy and would make ours so also if it were duly put in Execution and backed with good Laws to punish such as did hinder or despise it This is the discipline of which the Fathers give so fair a Character (b) Disciplina custos spei retinaculum fidei dux itineris salutaris fomes ac nutrimentum bonae indolis magistra virtutis Cypr. l. de Disc Hab. Virgin as to be the keeper of Hope the anchor of Faith the guide of our Heavenly Journey the food and nourishment of good Inclinations and the Mistress of all Virtue If our Age can be persuaded to make the experiment we shall soon find the blessed effects thereof in a general reformation of all their manners however who profess to be members of the established Church and then other Parties must amend those of their persuasion if not for love of Piety yet for fear of Reproach §. 5. Qu. VII Will you be faithful in ordaining sending or laying hands on others We have already proved that the Bishops have the sole right to Ordain (c) First Preface §. 5. and shall only add one passage or two out of Antiquity to confirm that great Truth The writer of St. Fulgentius his life observes That Thrasimundus the Arrian Vandal King of Africk had forbid the orthodox Bishops to ordain any but they met in Council and resolved they would confer Holy Orders for otherwise vacant Churches could not be provided of Pastors (d) Regalis Authoritas Episcopos ordinari prohibuerat nec viduatis pleâ—ibus pastores provideri licebat Vita B. Fulg. c. 16. pag. 18. These Holy Confessors foresaw that if an heretical persecuting Prince should suspend the Bishops from executing this important and incommunicable part of their Office for some time the Orthodox Clergy must intirely fail and consequently the African Church be destroyed because the Persons single are mortal and the Bishops by ordaining new Men do alone make the Office immortal by a Succession that is to endure to the end of the World (e) Matth. xxviii 20. And upon this Principle Sidonius severely censures those Kings of France who kept many Bishopricks vacant
c. 14. p. 335. Skinners Dictionary voce Signior alibi and so was Presbyter originally intended for the Verb from which it comes signifies to Rule (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesch p. 784. and it is used for a Superior Of which the word Priest which we commonly use is only a barbarous contraction but can by no means be supposed as some profanely apply it in their discourse to be any name of diminution or contempt There remains only the Title of Deacon now restrained to the lowest of these three Orders but it must be reckoned honourable in it self because it is applied to the chief Civil Magistrate in respect to his being subordinate to God (c) Rom. xiii 4. Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Bishops to the Apostles and to Christ himself (d) Rom. xv 8. 2 Cor. vi 4. Colos iv and though I would not infer from that use of the Name as a late Author doth that this Order was not in the Apostles time (e) Preface to the History of the Regalia p. 14. yet I may justly note that no dishonour can be cast upon our Deacons or Ministers from this appellation that will not reflect upon Magistrates and our Lord also To which I may add Mr. Mede's observation that 't is not said they are Ministers of the people but of God and of Christ (f) See Medes Diatrib on 1 Cor. iv 1. Wherefore all the names of these Sacred Orders in Scripture are honourable and so are also the Offices signified by them and this may suffice for the inspired Books As to the Opinion and Practice of the Christians afterwards they could not but value the Priesthood at an high rate since they reckoned it so necessary to Religion that there could be no Church where there were no Priests (g) Ecclesia non est quòd non habet Sacerdotes Hier. adv Lucif c. 8. ita Theod. Valent. l. 20. in append ad Cod. Theodos And the famous Justinian hath recorded it in his Laws That the Kingdom and the Priesthood are the greatest gifts that the Divine Goodness hath given unto men (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin praef ad Auth. coll 1. Tit. 6. p. 11. but to go back to the earliest times Epiphanius cites ancient Authors affirming That St. James Bishop of Jerusalem after the manner of the Jewish High-Priest (i) Exod. xxviii 36. wore a golden Plate as a Diadem on his Head in token of his Royal Priestood (k) Epiphan Panar l. 1. T. 1. haer 29. l. 3. T. 2. haer 78. The like Ornament as Polycrates Bishop of Ephesus reports was used by St. John (l) Euseb Hist l. 5. c. 23. p. 141. And Baronius gives instances of the same thing used by Primitive Bishops who could not be supposed to do it out of Pride but to express the dignity of their Order (m) Baron Annal. An. 34. p. 240. which in times of persecution when it had no outward lustre nor secular support was honoured by the faithful and those holy Bishops were revered as the representatives of God and Christ Jesus Yea St. Ignatius an humble Bishop and an eminent Martyr requires Christians to obey their Bishop as Christ did his Father to observe and reverence the Presbyters as the Apostles of Christ and to respect the Deacons as the Ordinance of God (n) Vid. loc citat à D.H. Ham. dissert 2. c. 25. which is no more than our Saviour and St. Paul had intimated before (o) Luk. x. 16. 1 Thes iv 8. And so it was no new Doctrine of his It were endless to give instances of the strict observance of these Precepts by the devout Converts of that Age so that one or two may suffice The blessed Martyr St. Polycarp was so highly honoured by the people of Smyrna where he was Bishop that until the day of his Martyrdom he had never pulled off his own shooes every one striving who should do that office for him (p) Euseb Hist l. 4. c. 15. p. 97. and those of Antioch kissed the Hands and embraced the Feet of Meletius their Bishop (q) Chrysost de S. Melet Antioch T. 5. p. 539. The old and famous St Anthony the Hermit who lived in the times of Persecution though he wrought Miracles yet being not in Orders he used to bow his Head and humbly receive the Benediction of Bishops and Priests nor would he pray if but a Deacon were present but made him go before him in the Office (r) Athanas in Vit. D. Ant. Tom. 5. p. 508. And this Custom of bowing to beg the blessing of the Clergy and other very holy Men was so usual among Christians that the very Gentiles did it to St. Anthonys's Scholar St. Hilarion as St. Hierom in his life reports (s) Vit. S. Hilarion apud Hieron Tom. 1. p. 329. and the usage continued for many Ages both in the Eastern and Western Church to kiss the Clergies hands and kneeling to receive their blessing (t) Vid. Haberti observ in Pontifical Graec. Obs 7. p. 139. But I proceed and shall add that when Constantine became a Christian he was exemplary for honouring the Clergy for comming to the Council of Nice and seeing the Bishops rise to receive him he would not sit down in that venerable Assembly till the Fathers desired him (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb in Vit. l. 3. cap. 10. p. 363. and when the Council was ended He feasted them all in his Palace making divers of them sit at his own Table (w) Id. ibid. c. 14. p. 364. In after times St. Martin was placed next to the Emperor Maximus and his Presbyter sat between the Emperors Uncle and Brother at a Feast where many Nobles were present (x) Sulpic. Sever. vit D. Martini §. 23. p. 466. And it was believed a Judgment of God fell upon Valentinian the elder for not rising to that Bishop when he came to him (y) Idem in Dialogo §. 6. p. 537. I might also note that if Bishops sollicited Princes for the pardon of Criminals or on other occasions of Charity they used not to deny them And St. Martin is said rather to command it than intreat in such cases (z) Et si pro aliquibus supplicandum regi fuit imperavit potius quam rogavit Sulpic. Sever. vit §. 23. p. 465. But I shall rather observe that before there were Christian Magistrates the Apostles put the power of judging all causes among beleivers into the Governors of the Church (a) 1 Cor. vi 1. and 1 Tim. v. 19 20. who exercised this Power during the times of Persecution (b) Nam judicatur magno cum pondere c. Tertul. Apol. cap. 39. But when the Emperors became Christian the Bishops were by Law made Judges of all Spiritual Matters and of all Causes among their own Clergy (c) Sozom. Histor Eccles l. 1. cap. 9. p. 206.
ad Cler. Synod ejus An. 1547. which scandalous ignorance remains still among many of this sort of Clergy-men in France as one of their own Communion complains (n) Baluzii not ad capitul T. 2. p. 1132. And another who lately was at Rome gives the same Character of very many Priests in that so much gloried of City (o) Mabillon in itin Italico p. 113. So that it is needful yet to put the old Question in the French Capitulars to many of them whether the Priests understand their Missal (p) Capitular Tom. 1. lib. 1. c. 6. p. 713. And now what false Doctrines and corrupt Practices may not be first imposed upon such a set of blind Guides and by them received and taught as Gospel Truths and Apostolical or Primitive Rites And what reason have we to bless God that our Clergy are generally skilled in the Tongues and some great Masters of them and other polite literature equalling at least if not exceeding their Predecessors in this and most other Churches and more would be thus qualified if their great charge and scanty Livings did not deprive them of good Books and force them to strugle with Poverty and so hinder their improvement Which I hope is a juster account of this Matter and a true character of our English Clergy than is given by a late writer in this Church who makes a comparison between the modern Popish Clergy and ours preferring the former and lamenting the gross Ignorance of such as are either in holy Orders or would be put into them the contrary to which is manifest to all unprejudiced persons and the reflection needs not to be confuted But there is another sort of knowledge which is a sufficient understanding of holy Scripture And since this is the perfect Rule both of Faith and Manners (q) In ijs quae apertè in S. Scripturis positae sunt inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque vivendi Aug. de Doctr. Christ l. 2. cap. 9. None can be fit to instruct others who is not very well instructed herein himself It was Timothy's recommendation to St. Paul and the chief motive to him to ordain him that from a Child he had known the holy Scripture (r) 2 Tim. iii. 15. this qualified Apollos for a Preacher and enabled him to make many Converts because he was mighty in the Scriptures (s) Acts xviii 24. 28. and Titus is ordered to admit none to be Pastors but such as had been taught in the Faithful word so as to be able thereby both to exhort the Orthodox and to convince the gainsayers (t) Titus i. 9. 'T is Recorded of St. Basil and his Friend Gregory Nazianzen that they spent 13 years together in a Monastery before they entred on any publick Ecclesiastical Function Reading no other Books but only the holy Scripture (u) Ruffin Hist Eccles lib. 11. cap. 9. which may justly be esteemed the principal ground of their extraordinary Proficiency afterwards And hence the ancient practice of Pious Bishops was to examine the Candidates strictly if they had diligently Read the holy Scripture and it is Recorded of Caesarius Bishop of Arles that he would ordain none of what Age soever who had not first Read over in order the whole Bible four times (w) Ut nec in qualibet majori aetate ordinaretur nisi quatuor vicibus in ordine libros Vet. Test legerit ante toties Novum Cypr. vit Caesarij lib. 1. n. 32. St. Hierom began to complain in his time that this was but too much neglected so that among the Teachers one could hardly find Men that could understand the Law of God (x) Hieron adv Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 9. But this was endeavoured to be amended by the Canons In the East the Bishop before he ordained any Man was strictly to enquire into his Life and Manners and especially concerning his Knowledge of the holy Scriptures (y) Nomocan l. 16. ap Coteler Monum Eccl. Graec. Tom. 1. p. 71. and Charles the great tells his Clergy that they must not only learn the Scripture themselves but be able also to teach them to others (z) Capit. Car. M. an 811. Tom. 1. p. 479. In the second Council of Nice the Metropolitan was to examine a Bishop elect whether he could readily and with understanding Read the Canons and the holy Scripture (a) Concil Nicaen secundum An. 787. Can. 2. Bin. Tom. 3. p. 1. p. 701. the latter of which if those Fathers had been well versed in they would not have decreed for Image-worship But after that and the like unscriptural Doctrines and Practices were crept into the Western Church we find by degrees the Study of the Scripture was generally laid aside and fabulous legends devised by the Priests and read to the People instead of them so that about the time of the Reformation the principal Divines of the Roman Church were utterly ignorant in Scripture it being remarked that Albert Prince Elector and Bishop of Mentz at the Diet of Ausburg took up a Bible that lay on the Table and asked what Book that was which spoke so much against the Church (b) Acta Comitiis Augustan An. 1530. And another Bishop about that time reproved a Priest for expounding the Scriptures to his People and said he thanked God he never knew what the Old and New Testament were not understanding nor wishing to understand more than his Portitory and Missal (c) See Foxe Acts and Monuments p. 1153. But our reforming Princes soon cured this evil here by injunctions that every Clergyman should have the new Testament both in English and Latin with Erasmus 's Paraphrase on it and should diligently study the same and the Bishops were to enquire how they had profited therein (d) Injunctions of King Ed. 6. An. 1547. Sparrows Collect. p. 6. Injunct of Q. Eliz. An. 1559. §. 16. ibid. p. 72. So that in a little time our Protestant Clergy became very expert in Scripture and thereby were able both to instruct their own Flock and to confute their Adversaries For which and many other Reasons our Bishops are still obliged to be very careful to admit none but such as are very well read in holy Scripture §. 10. May at the time appointed in the Canon or else upon urgent occasion on some other Sunday or Holy day in the face of the Church admit him a Deacon in such manner and form as hereafter followeth The Person being thus qualified may be admitted by the Bishop but regularly the Ordination should be First At one of the times appointed by the Thirty first Canon that is on the Sundays after the four Ember weeks which were the ancient Seasons for this Office as I have shewed before (e) See the Compan to the Temple Par. 2. Edit Fol. p. 353. But however it ought to be on some Sunday or Holyday as was used even from the Primitive times 〈◊〉
Diocesses ruled after once Parish Churches were Built far distant from their Cathedrals unless they had one or more certain setled Ministers there who should under them Rule that portion of their Flock (n) Ecclesiae rurales in Concil Sardic can 12. Diaconi plebem regentes Conc. Elib can 77. Qui per Diocoeses Ecclesias regunt Conc. Agath 2. can 22. Item Tolet. 3. can 20. and be accountable for the same to God and to their Ecclesiastical Superior (o) Episcopis subjecti sunt Conc. Arel 1. can 12 13. 19. Now the Deacons Duties in these Churches where they are appointed to serve are six 1st To assist the Priest in Prayers 2ly In the Administration of the Sacrament 3ly To Read the Scripture and Homilies 4ly To Catechise 5ly To Baptize 6ly To Preach if he be Licensed thereto 1st A Deacon as his very name imports is to Minister to a Bishop or a Priest in the Celebration of Divine Offices (p) Diaconus non ad Sacerdotium sed ad ministerium ordinatur Concil Carthag 4. can 4. Diaconi ministerium presbyteri officium Innocent decr 21. and to serve those of the higher Orders which of old was generally practised especially in the Greek Church Where the Deacon repeats the short Litany and some brief Collects and pronounces some Sentences such as Let us attend Let us hear the Holy Gospel (q) Eucholog Miss Chrys p. 64 65 68 69. and the like And in our Cathedrals they often Read the Litany the Epistle and the Confession at the Altar and the Priests perform all the rest of the Service Before the modern invention of Lay-Parish-Clerks there was generally a Priest and a Deacon in every Church the latter of which repeated the Confession Lords Prayer and the Creed after the Priest and made all the Responses as our Clerks now do But of late Deacons are usually fixed as Curates under some Eminent Priest in whose absence the whole Divine Service is left to them and they Read all the Prayers except the Absolution which it is the Privilege of a Priest alone to repeat Now since Deacons are so frequently trusted with the performance of all the Liturgy and other Duties in considerable Churches in our days therefore our Bishops ought to be very sure they are sufficiently qualified for so great a Charge and should expect them to have more Learning and Prudence than was required in the Candidates for this Order of old while they were always under the Eye of a Bishop or Presbyter and were only to assist one of them in the lower parts of the Offices 2ly The Deacons Office as to the Holy Communion remains the same that it was in the Primitive Church where they were never allowed to consecrate the Sacred Elements for none but a Bishop or a Priest at least were permitted to do that (r) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Const l. 8. cap. 28. ita Concil Nicaen 1. can 18. Bev. T. 1. p. 80. Concil Arelat 1. can 25. His non permissum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epiphan haer 79. and the penalty upon a Deacon if he presumed to Consecrate was to be deposed (s) Fulberti Carnotens Epist 36. His Office is when the Sacrament is Consecrated to assist the Priest or Bishop in distributing the same to the Congregation which was their part in this Mystery as anciently as Justin Martyr's time who says The Deacon makes all that are present partakers of the Consecrated Bread and Wine (t) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. Apol. 2. p. 97. but especially they use to distribute the Cup of which then all the people not the Priests alone used to drink (u) Solennibus adimpletis calicem Diaconus offerre praesentibus coepit Cypr. de laps vers fin and it appears that the Custom in the Roman Church also was till of late time for all the People to receive the Cup or else this could not have been the Deacons Office there who need not assist the Bishop or Priest in giving the Cup if he alone had drunk of it But St. Laurence the Deacon (w) Experire utrum idoneum ministrum elegeris cui commisisti Dominici sanguinis dispensationem Laurent ad Sixtum Papam Ambros de offiic l. 1. c. 41. saith to Pope Sixtus you have committed to me the dispensing of the Blood of Christ And Tho. Aquinas affirms That in his time the Deacons performed this (x) Unde Christi sanguinem dispensat de Diacono Aquin. in 4. d. 24. and so do many other of the Writers of the Roman Church (y) Rab. Maur. de instit cler l. 1. c. 6. Alcuin de Officiis Hugo de S. Victor l. 1. de Sacr. c. 38. By which we see they have been guilty of a notorious Innovation in their giving the Communion only in one kind But to return the Deacons should learn from hence to be humble and pay a great respect to the higher Order who hath power to Consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ of which he is only the dispenser (z) Diaconus ita se Presbyteri ut presbyter Espiscopi ministrum noverit Conc. 4. Carth. can 37. Bin. T. 1. p. 589 the Priests are their Supeperiors and as such they must reverence their Persons observe their Commands and endeavour to learn from their Discourse and Example how to behave themselves especially in God's House where though they be inferior to the Presbyters yet they are in the execution of their Office superior to the People and it is no small honour to be called to distribute the Symbols of our Saviour's Body and Blood those pledges of his Love and Seals of our Salvation Let our Deacon therefore purifie himself before he presume to touch those Sacred Elements let him deliver them reverently devoutly lifting up his Heart to God and with a fervent charity Praying for every Soul that comes to receive at his Hands and let the people honour and esteem him who in this Action is the representative of Christ who by his Hand gives himself verily and indeed to every Worthy Communicant 3ly It is his Office to read the Holy Scripture to the people as was shewed before but it is further remarked here that he is also to read Homilies in the Church Which is no new injunction for an ancient Council Orders that when the Priest is infirm and cannot Preach the Deacon shall read the Homilies of the Fathers (a) Concil Vasens 2. can 2. An. 529. Bin. T. 2. par 1. pag. 641. In those old Archives of St. Remigius among the necessary Books are reckoned 40 Homilies of St. Gregory (b) Vid. Notas Baluz in Tom. 2. Capitul p. 1159. And Charles the Great charges his Bishops not to suffer any to Preach new and uncanonical things to the people of their own Heads (c) Capitul Car. Mag. An. 789. cap. 80. p. 240. To prevent which by the hand of Paul the Deacon he collected the best things
42. and so were divers of the most eminent Fathers of the Primitive Church as Spiridion the Gregories Nyssen and Nazianzen both Father and Son and Hilary Bishop of Poictiers the stout Champion of the Orthodox Faith together with divers others too many to be remembred here especially since the Fact is so clear that Baronius is forced to own there were of old not only Bishops but other Clergy-men who had Wives and Children (g) Baron Annal. An 353. §. 33. T. 3. p. 634. idem An. 493. n. 1. p. 470. But then he pretends they had been married before they were ordained but vowed to abstain perpetually afterward which false pretence is confuted by a more authentick Writer of those Ages who saith None of the most illustrious Clergy-men of the East no not Bishops were compelled by any Law to such abstinence for many of them during the time of their being Bishops did beget Children by their lawful Wives (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat. Hist l. 5. c. 21. p. 698. The Councils also suppose and allow this The Apostolical Canons say Bishops often left Wives and Children at their decease (i) Can. Apostol 40. ap Bev. T. 1. p. 27. Those at Ancyra permit Deacons to Marry after their Ordination if they declared their intention when they were Ordained (k) Concil Ancyran can 10. ibid. p. 383. The Council of Gangra pronounces an Anathema against such as said they ought not to receive the Sacrament if a married Priest did officiate (l) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Gangr can 4. ib. p. 419. which was then the Heresie of the Eustathians and is now the Opinion of the Roman Church for which they stand accursed by this ancient Council And when some would have had the Clergy bound to Celibacy in the great Council of Nice Paphnutius carried it to leave them at liberty to Cohabit with their Wives if they pleased (m) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat. Hist l. 1. c. 11. Sozom. lib. 1. cap. 23. Gelas Cyzicen lib. 2. c. 32. and to separate from them upon pretence of greater purity had been condemned in the first Ages (n) Can. Apostol 5. Bev. T. 1 p. 3. However Siricius and some other Roman Bishops laboured hard to force single life on that part of the World then under their jurisdiction But the sixth General Council recites and condemns this as a particular constitution of Rome contrary to the Primitive and Apostolical Rules and the Honour which God hath given to Marriage wherefore they do allow Priests and Deacons to live with their Wives and forbid the requiring any promise of Celibacy or Separation from such as are to be ordained (o) Concil 6. Constant in Trul. can 13. Bev. T. 1. p. 171. And ever since in the Greek Church in opposition to this Roman innovation each Priest is enjoyned to Marry once (p) Coteler Eccles Graec. monument Nomocan Tom. 1. p. 69. Nor did the Popes decrees prevail much in the West for Sidonius and many French Bishops were married (q) Vit. Sidonij ante oper ejus p. 2. and the Councils of that Age call their Wives by the name of Episcopa the Bishopess (r) Concil Turon 2. can 14. Bin. T. 2. par 2. p. 227. and so it was in Germany long after where the Priests Wife had the title of Presbyteress as these words of Aventinus shew The Priests in that Age publickly married Wives like other Christians as is evident by the ancient instruments of Donations where their Wives are joyned as Witnesses and called by the honourable name of Presbyteresses (s) Aventin Annal. l. 4. p. 382. This was altered thereby that decree of Pope Hildebrand That Priests should have no Wives or if they had should dismiss them or be degraded (t) Presbyteri uxores non habeant habentes aut dimittant aut deponantur Lambert Sch. Chron. An. 1074. Which he caused to be executed with such rigour as set all this part of Christendom into a Flame the Germans censured it as an Act of Violence and Tyranny (u) Avent Annal. lib. 5. p. 448. Huldrich Bishop of Ausburgh writ a sharp Epistle to prove it a wicked and mischievous innovation (w) Vide Epistol Huldrici in Fascic rer expetend Tom. 2. p. 161. And two of our English Historians thus speak of its reception here (x) Radulf de Diceto Hist ap 10. Script An. Dom. 1074. item Matth. Paris p. 9. The Pope urged this without precedent and as many thought out of a blind prejudice contrary to the Opinion of the Holy Fathers and from this very thing so great a scandal did arise that the Church was never Rent with a more grievous Schism in the time of any Heresie Nor did the English submit to it for about 50 years after Calixtus one of Hildebrand's successors sent the Cardinal of Crema his Legate into England to press it a second time but he was vehemently opposed and being himself catcht with a Lewd woman the night after the Council he departed with disgrace and carried not the Pope's Point as our Historians to his Infamy do report (y) Matth. Paris An. 1125. pag. 70. Jornallens Chron. ap 10. Script Col. 1105. And where this Order did prevail it occasioned so much abominable wickedness as was the grief and shame of all good Men and particularly St. Bernard who sadly complains that the Clergy who abstained from the lawful remedy of Marriage and on that occasion run into all filthyness were so many they could not and so impudent they would not lie hid (z) Multi certum est nec latere queant prae multitudine nec prae impudentiâ quarunt abstinentes remedio nuptiali◠in omne deinde stagitium effluentes Bern. de convers ad Cler. p. 29. which was so notorious that when the Suedes upon their Conversion had declared it to be for the publick good Priests should have their own Wives the Popes were forced afterwards to allow it in those Countries (a) Vide Grotij proleg ad epit Procopij p. 39. and also to admit their Sons for legitimate (b) Vid. ibid. in Elogiis p. 139. So that upon the whole matter our Reformers very prudently rejected so new and scandalous a Law and do allow the Clergy to Marry taking only care that they choose good Wives and make their Families pious and exemplary Quest VII Will you reverently obey your Ordinary and other Chief Ministers of the Church c. There is no regular Society can subsist without a due Subordination of the Inferiors to their Superiors so it is in Houses and Cities Kingdoms and Armies in the last of which we find in the Gospel a Centurion under Authority that is of the Tribune yet had Soldiers under himself (c) Matth. viii 9. So in the Church now it is setled the Bishops are subjected to their Metropolitan and take an Oath of Canonical obedience to them (d)
Candidate first by a visible Sign viz. Laying his Hands on the Persons Head which is one of the most ancient Rites in the World for conferring any Blessing Dignity or Power For thus it was used before the Law (s) Gen. xlviii 14. and under the Law also (t) Numb xxvii 18 23. Deut. xxxiv 9. And from the constant use of the Jews the Apostles brought it into the Ordinations of the Christian Church and used it so constantly (u) Acts vi 6. xiii 3. 1 Tim. iv 14 ver 22. 2 Tim. i. 6. that the word even in Scripture is put for the Act of Ordination (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. xiv 23. and all Ecclesiastical Writers Fathers Historians and Collectors of Councils use the Laying on of Hands for conferring Holy Orders as might be proved if it were necessary by innumerable instances but in a matter so very plain we will content our selves with a few which will suffice to shew this was an Apostolical and Primitive Rite and an Essential Part of Ordination The ancient Author under the name of Dionysius saith the Imposition of Hands gives the Priestly Character and Power (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccles Hier. c. 5. and St. Basil saith by Laying on of Hands they receive the Spiritual Gift (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ad Amphil. Can. 1. Bev. Tom. 2. p. 48. A Priest is made as another hath it by the Power of the Holy Ghost by the Bishops Voice and Laying on of his Right Hand (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jov. Monach. ap Phot. The Ordination of the Clergy as St. Hierom speaks is compleated by two things Laying on of Hands and a Prayer of the Lips (a) Hieron lib. 16. in Jesai The same is also affirmed by all the Schoolmen who generally make this Imposition of Hands necessary to the conferring of Holy Orders (b) Durand Ration fol. 21. D. Tho. 3. p. qu. 84. art 4. Bonavent in 4. sent dist 24. art 2. qu. 1. and the Canon Law decrees if it have been omitted it must be supplied cautiously afterward without repeating the whole Office (c) Greg. de decret l. 1. Tit. 16. de Sacram. non iterand c. 3. p. 310. Remarkable is the Story of Marcianus an holy Bishop who having ordained an evil Man wished his Hands had rather been thrust into an heap of Thorns than laid on the Head of Sabbatius at his Ordination (d) Socrat. Hist lib. 5. cap. 20. and we read of some Orthodox Priests who with indignation thrust away the Hands of Arrian Bishops when they would have laid them on their Heads (e) Theod. Hist l. 4. c. 14. And as to the mystical meaning of this Ceremony I find it variously explained some will have it signifie the taking them into God's special protection (f) Ita Dionys Eccl. Hier. cap. 5. Et Simeon Thessal in Eucholog pag. 257. others the granting them power to act because the Hand is the instrument of action (g) Cyril in Jesai l. 5. Manum Dei potestatem Dei dixit Aug. Com. in Psal lxxii T. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ita Pachymer Schol. in Dionys others the plentiful imparting to them the Gifts of the Spirit for Gifts are distributed by the hand (h) D. Tho. Aquin. ubi supr But the most natural signification of it seems to be the Bishops delivering them a power to officiate in the Church and to administer holy things but because he doth this in God's Name and by Authority from him the Candidate should lift up his Heart to Heaven and pray for grace to fit him for this weighty Charge There is only to be further observed as to this Rite The difference between the two Orders for at the Ordination of a Deacon the Bishop alone lays his Hands on the Head of the Candidate but when a Priest is ordained the Priests that are present do all lay on their hands with the Bishop which some would derive from Timothy's being ordained with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery but the Greek Fathers and Ethiopick Version expound that of the Bishops who joyned with St. Paul in making Timothy a Bishop (i) 1 Tim. iv 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc Impositione Manuum Episcoporum Vers Aethiop And in the Greek Church none but the Bishop lays on his Hand at the Ordination of a Priest as well as of a Deacon (k) Euchol in Ordin Diac. p. 250. in Ord. Presbyteri p. 293. So that it is an ancient usage only of the Western Church mentioned as early as the 4th Council of Carthage An. 398. where it is said when a Priest is Ordained all the Presbyters that are present shall joyn with the Bishop in laying on Hands But at a Deacons Ordination only the Bishop lays on his Hands (l) Omnes Presbyteri qui praesentes sunt manus suas juxta manum Episcopi super caput ejus tenent Concil 4. Carthag Can. 3. Solus Episcopus qui eum benedicit manum super caput illius ponat ibid. Can. 4. Bin. T. 1. p. 588. and from that Council it hath been taken into the Rubrick of the Roman Pontifical (m) Pontif. Roman p. 36. postea in Ord. Presbyt vid. Morin de Ord. Latin p. 269. and ours as well as other Reformed Churches (n) Liturg Belgic pag. 261. Formul Lutheran Lips 1624. but I do not think the import of it to be any more than to do some greater Honour to the higher Order of Priests and so to distinguish it from that of a Deacon unless it be in token of the College of Presbyters consenting to the Bishops ordaining one into their Body for of old they were his Council and the Bishop was not to ordain any without their advice (o) Episcopus absque Concilio Presbyterorum Clericos non ordinet Excerp Egbert Can. 44. An. 750. Spelm. T. 1. p. 263. So that the Presbyters laying on of Hands only and always with a Bishop cannot imply their having any direct power in Ordination but only their agreeing to the election testified by their publick joyning in this Act of their Solemn Admission But a Priest being a very Honourable Order in the Church of Christ it is very fit the Bishop should advise with his Clergy of that Degree concerning the Qualifications of those who offer themselves for this Sacred Order and it may be of good use that all the Priests present being fully satisfied as to every particular mans endowments may the more heartily joyn with the Bishop in praying to God to give them grace suitable to this undertaking § 2. Rubr. Humbly kneeling before him This Posture of receiving Holy Orders kneeling was so well known and so constantly practised in the Pure Ages of the Primitive Church that when Gregory Nazianzen's Father being then but a Youth was sent to be publickly Catechized by Leontius Bishop of
Caesarea in Cappadocia he kneeled all the time which the whole Congregation interpreted as an Omen he would become a Priest afterwards because that was the Posture of a Candidate for Orders not of a Catechumen (p) Greg. Naz. Orat. 19. de Patre suo Vide item Baron Anno 325. n. 30. p. 284. Now a Rite so well known then could be of little less than Apostolical original The Author of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy mentions it and notes that a Deacon kneeled but upon one Knee a Priest on both before the Altar while the Bishop laid his Hand on his Head (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys Eccl. Hier. c. 5. which is also enjoyned in the Greek Rubrick (r) Eucholog Graec. pag. 256. pag. 297. But we according to the Custom of the Western Church require Deacons as well as Priests to kneel humbly upon both knees (s) Pontifical Roman p. 32. and the Lutheran Form requires them to kneel before the Altar as soon as the Questions are proposed to them (t) Ad ordinandos procumbentes coram Altari Creditisne Fidem c. Form Luth. Lips 1624. The reasons for which ancient usage are principally two First In respect to the Bishop who in this Sacred Action represents our Lord Jesus himself and executes a Power delegated to him from his and our Great Master and this Posture of Adoration is principally due to him only it is paid to the Embassador for the King of Heavens sake Secondly We must observe that though the Bishop pronounces the Words yet Christ gives the Grace and confers the Gifts which therefore the Candidate must receive with the profoundest humility and no Posture so fit as that of Prayer for he must all the time humbly and earnestly beg of Jesus to confirm the Words of his Servant the Bishop and that he would give all those good Qualities to him which are requisite for a just and conscientious discharge of this Office We put up our Petitions to Mortal Princes upon our Knees and whoever is advanced to Secular Dignity receives his Investiture from the Royal Hands kneeling how much more reasonable is it we should kneel to the King of Heaven when He is about to endue us with his Grace and invest us with an Office in his Courts §. 3. The Solemn Words Take thou Authority to execute the Office of a Deacon in the Church of God committed to thee in the Name c. There are generally certain Forms used in the admissions to all Offices Civil and Military and so it ought to be in these that are Ecclesiastical But because there are no Forms prescribed in Scripture every Church hath taken the liberty to compose its own Formularies It would suffice saith Pope Innocent if the Ordainer only said be thou a Priest or a Deacon but now Forms are made by the Church they must be used (u) Innocent de Sacram. non iterandis That of the Roman Church indeed is a very odd Form (w) Accipe Spiritum Sanctum ad robur ad resistendum Diabolo c. Pont. Rom. p. 36. and belongs no more to a Deacon than to any other Christian for they pretend to give him the Holy Spirit to enable him to resist the Devil and his Temptations The Form of the Greek Church is much better where because of that ancient error of those who did attribute the efficacy of Sacramentals to the vertue of him that Ministers them as the Ancients note (x) 1 Cor. iii. 4. Vide D. Chrys Hom 50. in Matth. Aug. Tract 6. in Jonah The Bishop humbly ascribes the whole Act to God and says The Divine Grace which always heals that which is weak and fills up that which is defective promotes N. to be a Deacon (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 N. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chol p. 250. And to the same effect they speak in the Ordaining of a Priest As to our Form it is owing to our Reformation and is as it ought to be a clear explication of the Ceremony of Laying on of Hands which signifies as was noted collation of Power and delegating Authority and therefore the Bishop says Take thou Authority c. It seems by St. Ambrose there were in his time some mystical words used at Imposition of Hands which were believed to convey authority (z) Manus vero impositiones verba sunt mystica quibus confirmatur ad hoc opus electus accipiens Authoritatem Ambr. in 1 Tim. 4. And here the Bishop in whom the Supream Power is lodged grants Authority to the Candidate to execute the Office of a Deacon which is his Commission and lawful Call giving him a right to perform all the Duties annexed to that Order Yet according to the example of the Eastern Church the Bishop declares he doth not this purely of himself but by a Power granted him from God and therefore he adds In the Name of the Father of the Son c. to intimate that the Holy and ever Blessed Trinity doth confer this Order on him We are commanded by St. Paul to do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus (a) Coloss iii. 17. Quicquid agis in nomine Dei agas R. D. Kimch in Psal 1. ver 2. from whence the Christians generally begin all their Solemn Instruments with this Form In Nomine Domini and sometimes the whole Trinity is expressed especially in Religious Ministrations such as Absolution Marriage and Holy Orders where each Person of the Trinity concurs the Father by his Providence guides the Choice the Son by his Supream Authority over the Church grants the Power the Holy Ghost by his Gifts and Graces qualifies and fits the Person now chosen One of the Greek Ritualists makes this a calling the whole Trinity to witness this Present Act (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sym. Thessai de Sacr. but I take the former to be the true sence because to do a thing in the Name of God c. is to do it as his Representative and by his Authority and so the Person is promoted to be a Deacon Ministerially by the Bishop but Originally and Principally by God himself from whom he receives this Honour humbly kneeling on his Knees and he should remember that to him he must one day give an account how he hath performed his Duty which cannot but strike his Mind with reverence and holy fear while these Solemn Words are repeated §. 4. Rubr. Delivering the New Testament Take thou Authority to read the Gospel in the Church of God and to Preach c. This is the second significant Rite used in our Ordination concerning which we shall observe That the Deacons in the Christian Church are made after the pattern of those Ministers among the Jews whose Office was to keep the Book of the Law and upon occasion to read it publickly in their Synagogues in whose stead our Saviour himself did once Minister (c) Luke vi 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
a sufficient demonstration of the honour of the Priesthood that it approaches so nigh to the Episcopal Dignity as to cause divers of the Holy Fathers to affirm there is not much difference between a Presbyter and a Bishop (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Chrys Hom. 11. in 1 Epist ad Timoth. And St. Hierom speaking of their several Administrations asks what a Bishop can do which a Priest cannot He only excepts Ordination there (b) Quid enim facit exceptâ Ordinatione Episcopus quod Presbyter non facit Hier. ad Euagr. Ep. 84. p. 512. and Confirmation in another place (c) Orthodox ap Hieron Diac. ad v. Lucif T. 2. p. 187. Which are the only eminent Acts that Antiquity did as we also do appropriate to the Bishops The Schoolmen to advance the supposed power of their Priests in consecrating the Sacrament which they call making the Body and Blood of Christ generally hold that Bishops differ from them only in Dignity not in Order (d) Sunt alia quaedam non Ordinum sed dignitatum nomina c. Lomb. 4. Sent. dist 22. c. 10. fol. 186. D. Thom. in 4 Sent. dist 24. qu. 3. ar 2. ita Bonavent ibid. Tostat in Matth. 16. q. 74. By which they do not mean with Aerius in Epiphanius that there is no difference in degree between them (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Panar haer 75. because they freely allow Bishops a Primacy of Dignity among Priests and a superiority over them only they affirm there is no new formal character impressed on a Priest when he is advanced to the Episcopal Chair and therefore they call it the Ordination of a Priest but the Consecration of a Bishop But we have proved before there are three distinct Orders so that we think the Schools distinguish two nicely and must assert the Bishops are a different Order but so as the Fathers teach that Priests are not much below them but joyned with them in the Sacerdotal honour (f) Presbyteros cum Episcopo sacerdotali honore conjunctos Cypr. ad Luc. ep 58. The Apostle St. Peter writing to those of this Order calls himself their Fellow-Presbyter (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. v. 1. from whence the Bishops when they writ to Priests used to give them that very same Title of Fellow-Presbyter and Brother even down to the time of St. Chrysostom and St. Augustin (h) Fratri Compresbytero Sixto Aug. Ep. 104 vid. Chrys Hom. 1. in Ep. ad Philip. yea in our Ordination Office the Bishop speaking to the Priests calls them Brethren and the College of Presbyters writing to St. Cyprian their Bishop call him Brother (i) Vid. Cypr. Epist 26. Nor was their Dignity only exprest by Titles of mutual respect but the Priests were really the Councellors of their Bishop and Assessors with them as St. Ignatius speaks (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Epist ad Tral another calls the Assembly of Presbyters the Senate of the Church (l) Habemus in Ecclesiâ senatum nostrum coetum Presbyterorum Hier. in Jesai c. 3. and saith they and the Bishops ought to rule the Church in common (m) In commune debent Ecclesiam regere Id. com ep ad Tit. For which Reason they sat with the Bishops of old in Councils n and also voted with them as is manifest by the Tiles and Subscriptions of very many Synods (m) Concil Elliber in Praefat. passim yea of later times when Priests grew very numerous they had their Procurators or Proxies even in great Councils as in that of Lyons (o) Matth. Par. An. 1215. pag. 272. and so they have still in our Convocations Within the Church they sat down as soon as the Bishop came in on seats placed round the Altar (p) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Laod. can 56. Bev. Tom. 1. p. 479. Et Euseb l. 10. c. 4. and though his Seat was higher in publick yet in private he was commanded to treat them as his Collegues (q) Concil 4. Carthag can 35. Bin. T. 1. p. 589. and when the Bishop sat down he was not to suffer a Priest to stand beside him (r) Ibid. can 34. it being esteemed a great crime in any Bishop to despise them (s) Hieron adv Johan Hierosol cap. 2. For so long as the Bishop and his Presbyters lived together in Cities at or near the Mother Church he was obliged to consult them in all weighty affairs and always did so as we find in St. Cyprian and afterward when Christianity was setled and spread into the Country so that divers Priests were fixed in rural cures The Bishops still kept a College of Presbyters with them at their Cathedrals which doubtless was the Original of Deans and Chapters designed to be the standing Council of the Bishop But as to the particulars of old no Bishop might ordain any Clerks unless he had the consent of his Presbyters for they were to offer and propose to him such Persons as they judged fit for Holy Orders as may be collected from the first Council of Nice which decreed that the Presbyters ordained by Meletius should lose the Privilege of proposing and presenting the Names of such as they approved of (t) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. Syn. Nicaen Theodoret. lib. 1. c. 9. which supposes if their Ordination had been good this would have been their right Which is thus affirmed and described by Theophilus Alex. This shall be the method of Ordinations all the College of Priests shall consent and choose and then the Bishop shall examine them (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. Al. can 6. Bev. T. 2. p. 172. Yea the 4th Council of Carthage says expresly That a Bishop without the Counsel of his own Clergy shall not ordain any Clerk (x) Ut Episcopus sine consilio clericorum suorum clericos non ordinet Conc. 4. Carth. can 22. Bin. T. 1. pag. 589 and in that Council which was called against St. Chrysostom He was accused for making Ordinations without his Clergys consent which then was esteemed a great irregularity So it was secondly for a Bishop to hear any considerable Cause without the presence or determine it without the consent of his Presbyters (y) Ut Episcopus nullius causam audiat absque presentiâ clericorum suorum alioqui irrita erit Sententia Concil 4. Carth. can 23. Bin. ibid. Or if they did the Sentence they gave was to be void Yea the cause of an offending Bishop according to the old Canons must be tried before a joynt Commission of Bishops Priests and Deacons (z) Concil 2. Carthag can 10. Bin. ibid. p. 570. So Thirdly a Bishop could not degrade a Presbyter without the consent of a Synod (a) Concil Hispal 2. Can. 6. An. 619. Bin. T. 2. par 2. p. 334. wherein 't is known Presbyters were present The Canon Law allows not a Bishop to treat any Priest
indecently nor to suspend him without the approbation of his Chapter (b) Vel inhonestè tractare aut sine judicio capituli suspendere Alex. 3. in Decret l. 5. Tit. 31. c. 1. And some Parish Priests then had power to suspend or interdict their inferior Clerks and Lay-Parishioners which Sentence if it were just the Bishop was to confirm and could not relax it but by the consent of the Priest that laid it on s (b) Dâ—cretal L. 1. T. 31. de offic jud ordin 1. 3. I know in later times many of the Privileges belonging to the second Order have been laid aside whether to repress the ambition of the Presbyters who unjustly aimed at an equality or out of an affectation of singularity in some of the superior Degrees I will not determine It is sufficient to my purpose to shew the honour of Priesthood which in the best Ages was thought worthy to act joyntly with Bishops in most Ecclesiastical concerns and to have the next degree of Reverence and Authority to them yet still so as to be inferior and subordinate to their Bishop And I look upon it to be equally pernicious to the Church for Presbyters to aspire to a parity with Bishops or for these to despise the others as unworthy to advise or assist them For the former destroys and the latter very much impairs the good Government of the Church The Bishops cannot exercise that Authority which Christ and his Apostles left them if Presbyters be their equals this will make as St. Hierom speaks as many Schisms as Priests And they cannot have that useful assistance toward the execution of their Episcopal Function which was designed them when they exclude so many learned and able Men as this next Order affords from their Counsels and and Administrations wherefore the Orders must be distinct to avoid confusion but provided the Subordination be kept up due respect should be shewn to exclude Arbitrary Dominion And this temper is prescribed by that often quoted Council of Carthage which decrees That the Bishop shall sit higher in the Assembly of Presbyters in the Church But within the House he shall consider them as his Colleagues (c) Ut Episcopus in Ecclesiâ in confessu Presbyterorum sublimior sedeat intravero domum collegam Presbyterorum se esse cognoscat Conc. Carth. 4. can 35. Bin. T. 1. p. 589. So that antiquity required of Presbyters to express all imaginable Reverence in publick to their Bishop and remember his Superiority and of Bishops to shew them in private all possible respect and treat them with great Civility And I could instance in some of our greatest Bishops of this and the last Age who by calling some of the most learned grave and experienced of their Clergy to consult with in private about their weightiest Affairs have done themselves great Service and gained a great Reputation from all as well as a greater respect from their whole Clergy thereby To conclude Humility is the Duty the Ornament and Security of both Orders and that Grace alone will set all right on both sides and bring Glory to God and benefit to the Church CHAP. I. Of the Epistle §. 1. THere is nothing to be remarked on this Office but where it differs from that for making Deacons and the first material difference lies in the proper Portions of Scripture appointed for the Epistle and Gospel at the Ordination of a Priest which have been various in divers Churches The ancient Gallican Offices appoint for the Epistle Titus I. ver 1. to ver 7. (u) Mabil Litur Gal. l. 2. p. 171. Or as an old Lectionary hath it to ver 10. (w) Lectionar in Append ad Capitul Franc. per Baluz Tom. 2. p. 1350. But since that more properly belongs to the Order of Bishops our Reformers chose Ephes iv ver 7 to ver 13. which is also read in the Ordination of a Priest by the Syrian Maronites (x) Morin in Ordinat Syror. p. 408. and it is very proper for the occasion because the Apostle here treats of the diversity of Gifts and Offices in the Church and particularly of their Author variety and use which we proceed in our usual method to illustrate The Analysis of the Epistle Ephes iv 7 13. This Epistle concerns the variety of Ecclesiastical Gifts shewing 1st The universality and measure of them Ver. 7. 2ly The Author of them and the time of giving Ver. 8 9 10. 3ly The various kinds of them different Offices receiving them 1. Apostles Ver. 11. 2. Prophets Ver. 11. 3. Evangelists Ver. 11. 4. Pastors Teachers Ver. 11. 4ly The end of giving them and their duration 1. The Churches good in general Ver. 12. 2. The perfecting every Christian in particular Ver. 13. The Paraphrase of this Epistle §. 2. Ephes 4. ver 7. Having exhorted you to unity as Members of the same Body I fear lest the different kinds and measures of Gifts which you behold in the several degrees of Ministers may break this Union and move some to Pride others to envy and so make dissention among you Wherefore I will give you a clear account of this diversity which doth not make you divers Bodies but distinguishes one Body into several Members (y) Non multa sunt corpora per varietatem gratiarum sed membra diversa Hieron in loc All Christians have some gifts but the sort and degree depends on the free-will of the giver (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thophil in loc For unto every one of us especially such as are in the ministries of the Church is given some kind of Grace some share of these Gifts but the proportion is according to the measure of the gift of Christ who being the Donor and there being no merit in the Receivers ought to be at liberty to give more or less as seems fit to him with respect to the Persons station or capacity (a) Non quod mensura Christi diversa sit sed tantum gratiae ejus infunditur quantum valemus haurire Hieron in Jovin l. 2. T. 2. p. 110. So that if you contend about this you must quarrel with the Bestower not the Receivers of these Gifts Ver. 8. Now that Christ is the Distributer of these Gifts may be proved by a Prophecy of David (b) Psal lxviii 18. for he foresaw our Saviours Resurrection and Ascension long before they came to pass wherefore he saith by the Spirit as Princes on the day of their Triumph are wont to scatter large Donatives among their People so Christ when he ascended up on high and returned back to Heaven like a Victorious General he led in Chains Sathan and Death which had brought mankind into captivity these being now by him taken Captive He received as a Reward from his Father a power to distribute variety of the Holy Spirits operations and gave these different Gifts which he had so received (c) Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signif Tam
appearance of it and every thing which may occasion his people to offend (b) 1 Thessal v. 22. Rom. xiv 21. and 1. Ep. Corinth viii 13. So that there are several innocent Words and Actions which yet may be apt to be misconstrued that a Clergy-man must abstain from least others taking the same liberty and wanting the like discretion may stumble at the Stone which the other stept over without hurt So that his duty is nice and requires much Prudence as well as Virtue for he must be Virtuous for his own sake and unsuspected of Vice for the sake of others (c) Conversatio casta cauta sit ne forte cum mala vita non sit per lasciviam mala sit fam◠per negligentiam Julian de bon vit c. 22. Quod non sit ne videarecave Ovid. Tr. l. 5. El. 11. Some company he may not keep some places he must shun some exercises he ought to forbear least he give offence to weak but well-meaning people or offer occasion to the wicked to speak evil of his sacred Profession Now to take all the pains before spoken of with others and keep so strict a guard constantly over a Mans self is so difficult an undertaking that none can naturally or of themselves have a mind or inclination to it Nature delights in ease and freedom and would discourage Men from so laborious and strict a course of life wherefore since it appears these Candidates are willing to engage themselves to it we conclude this will is given them by God alone and he only can make them able to perform what his grace hath moved them to undertake §. 3. Upon which consideration that God who directed their choice can only furnish them with abilities to discharge so great a Trust the Bishop in the next place shews them the means to fit them for this high Employment The first of which is constant and earnest Prayer to God for his Holy Spirit of which they need a double Portion both to direct their own lives and to qualifie them to be guides to many others without this they can do no part of their duty they are to pray with the Spirit and with it also to praise God (d) 1 Cor. xiv 15. the Spirit must help them to intercede for others effectually (e) Rom. viii 26 27. Sacerdos abs te avertere iram Dei nititur pro te Domini misericordiam deprecatur Cypr. de laps For they are to be common intercessors for all mankind especially for their own people The Spirit must open the meaning of those Divine Writings which himself indited to him that would teach others and finally the same Spirit must prosper his Preaching and make it effectual so as to produce in his Hearers all sorts of Virtue which are therefore called the Fruits of the Spirit (d) Gal. v. 22. in a word a Minister ought to be a Spiritual Man (e) Chap. vi 1. as St. Paul calls those of this Profession that is to have a large measure of the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit wherefore he ought daily and fervently to pray for its assistance which upon so many accounts he continually needs A second means to fit a Minister for this weighty charge is to be very studious in reading the Holy Scriptures and very inquisitive to learn the meaning of them which is properly added to the former advice of praying for the Spirit least the Candidates should think with those who called themselves gifted Men in those times of Hypocrisie when we had neither King nor Bishop their having the Spirit would make Learning Study and Reading unnecessary whereas we find even when Prophets were inspired yet they were kept to Study in Colleges (f) 1 Sam. xix 20. 2 Kings xiv 38. and though Timothy certainly had extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost far above those pretenders yet St. Paul charges him to give attendance to reading (g) 1 Tim. iv 13 14. which he calls kindling or stirring up the Gifts that were in him (h) 2 Tim. i. 6. Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Metaphor taken from the Priests in the Temple who laid on Wood and blew up even that sacred Fire of the Temple which at first came down from Heaven But now this is more necessary since those miraculous gifts are ceased and no Man hath any thing beyond the ordinary assistance of the Holy Ghost to bless his Studies and Labours Now there is no way to understand the Scriptures but by skill in the original Tongues consulting Fathers and Commentators and comparing one part of the Bible with another Yet unless we do understand them we cannot do our Office well for all our Doctrines and Exhortations must be taken out from thence we must instruct the Ignorant confirm the Faithful convince Gainsayers comfort the Sad strengthen the Weak exhort the Negligent and reprove Sinners with Divine sentences duly applied and carefully gathered from God's word which gives Authority to all our Discourses This therefore must be constantly studied and well understood by every Minister And thirdy It is necessary he should lead his life agreeable to the same and form the manners of his Family by that most perfect Rule because when he practises all the Duties and avoids all the Sins himself (i) Ipsa obmutescit facundia si aegra est conscientia Ambr. in Psal 118.43 which he recommends or forbids to his people his Example will give life and energy to all his exhortations and reproofs and neither his neighbours nor yet his own Conscience can object any thing to them whereas if he be known often to neglect that which is good or do that which is evil his own Heart will condemn him and his people despise both his Counsel and his Rebukes But of this before Chap. 3. Qu. iv The fourth and last means to fit them for this sacred Office is to forsake and lay aside as much as is possible all worldly cares and secular business both because they have work enough in their Spiritual Employment to take up all their time thoughts and care and because their work is so far distant from and so wholly unlike to the common affairs of the World that they cannot serve two such contrary Masters as God and Mammon (k) Matth. vi 24. Hence Synesius a Primitive Bishop (l) Synes Epist 57. p. 198 199. often declares against being made a Judge and says he could not manage both secular and sacred matters yea if he were at any time intangled in worldly business he found himself unfit for Divine Administrations a long time after The Roman Laws did not allow a Soldier to follow Suits at Law or sollicit any affairs at the Court or exercise any sort of Merchandice as St. Ambrose hath observed (m) Is qui imperatori militat à susceptionibus litium actu negotiorum forensium venditione mercium prohibetur humanis legibus Ambr. de Off. l. 1.
Tradition or New Revelations to make us wise to Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (z) 2 Tim. iii. 15. that there is enough written in it to make us capable of Eternal Life through believing (a) Joh. xx 30 31. and that being received with meekness and a due submission to its Doctrines and Precepts it is able to save our Souls (b) James i. 21. Finally That it is so perfect a Rule That nothing can be added to it or taken from it (c) Deut. iv 2. Rev. xxii 18. Wherefore unless we can be so impious to imagine that the God of Truth designed to deceive us we must give credit to his Character of Holy Scripture and believe it contains all necessary Truths And this was the constant opinion of the Catholick Church in all Ages as I have proved elsewhere I will only note here that the Fathers declared Nothing was fundamental in Religion which was not attested by God's word (d) Nullum fundamentum aut firmitatem possunt habere quae nullis divinarum vocum fulciuntur oraculis Lact. l. 7. c. 2. and that a compleat Systeme of Divine Mysteries was only to be drawn from this Fountain (e) Universa divinarum rerum Mysteria non nisi ex ipsis fontibus hauriri queant Sulp. Sever. Hist Sacr. l. 1. Yea this of old was the Doctrine of the Roman Church for Pope Celestine's Letter to Nestorius affirms That he deserves an Anathema who adds to or takes from that Faith which being fully and plainly delivered by the Apostles needs no encrease and must have no diminution from us (f) Celestin Epist in Concil Ephes Bin. Tom. 1. Par. 2. p. 136. but this was before they had brought in so many New Doctrines and Practices grounded on Tradition only that they were forced to decree at Trent That Traditions were to be received with the same pious Affection and Veneration that they received the Scriptures (g) Omnes Libres tam V. quam N. Testamenti nec non traditiones pari pietatis affectu ac reverentia suscipit c. Concil Trid. Sess 4. Decr. 1. But in the Primitive Ages nothing but the Word of God was allowed to decide controversies of Faith and therefore the Holy Bible alone was placed on a Throne in Christian Councils as the only Judge in all such cases (h) Vid. Concil Aquil. ap Bin. T. 1. Par. 1. p. 545. Concil Ephes ibid. Par. 2. p. 214. Wherefore 't is very necessary every Priest should declare his belief of the perfection of Scripture and Secondly That he should promise to teach no Doctrines but what may be proved by it For this is the greatest security of his being Orthodox which the Church can have since no man can be an Heretick who takes his Faith from the plain Words of Scripture and proves it by necessary Consequences drawn from thence And it is of such importance to the Church that those She admits for Guides to others be not in a wrong way themselves that all the Reformed Churches ask the same Question of their Candidates The Lutherans say Do you believe the Faith which the whole Christian Church believes c. And do you condemn all Errors and Heresies that are condemned by Scripture and by the genuine Christian Councils (i) Creditisne fidem quam Universa Christiana Ecclesia credit c. Damnatis omnes errores haereses per S. Scripturam Christiana probata Concilia damnatas Form Luth. Ord. Lips 1624. item Form Belg. Eccl. p. 261. Scotch Psalter J. Knox p. 19. The Belgick and Scottish Churches ask the like Questions upon the same occasion For this is sufficient evidence that they who answer this Question sincerely do not hold nor will they teach any Heresie whatsoever but more particularly this excludes all Papists and Enthusiasts from Holy Orders because the former pretend Traditions and the latter New Revelations for the proof of their False Doctrines and though they seem very different yet both agree in denying the perfection of Holy Scripture and both do this with the same design viz. that they may Coin new Articles of Faith as often as they please which false Principles and dangerous Design would make our Faith changeable and uncertain and nothing fixes our fundamentals in Religion like binding all Priests to a written and unalterable Rule It is thought an excellent means to preserve Mens civil Rights to bind the Judges to decide all Causes according to the Written Laws of the Kingdom (k) Ut Judices secundum Scriptam Legem judicent non secundum Arbitrium suum Capitul Reg. Franc. Tom. 1. p. 370. And it is equally prudent and more necessary to use this Caution in Divine Truths of which the Bible is the only Collection and that Standard from which no private Man may vary he may hold some pious Opinions and urge some innocent Practices from Reason and Antiquity but these must not be pressed as necessary to Salvation for nothing is so but what is contained in or can be proved by the Holy Scripture and so long as we keep close to that Rule no dangerous Heresie nor notorious Corruption can come in §. 2. Quest 3. Will you then give your faithful diligence c. This Question shews the matter and manner of their Duty in Divine Administrations A Minister is often compared to a Shepherd whose Office it is to feed his Flock in Green Pastures and to lead them forth besides the Waters of Comfort and with his Shepherds Staff to drive in such as wander into the Valleys of Death and Destruction (l) Psal xxiii 2 4. So our Spiritual Pastor is to feed and nourish his People that are regular by the Word and Sacraments those that are irregular he is to fetch back to the Fold by Holy Discipline privately labouring to convince them of their Errors and convert them from their Sins and if that be not sufficient giving them up to the censures of the Church for their Reformation and Amendment This is the matter of their Duty As to the manner they are to administer Doctrine Sacraments and Discipline so as the Lord hath commanded in his word and so as the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Realm do appoint which are not blessed be God two different ways here in this pure Church because we have declared that we have no power to make any Laws in these matters contrary to God's word (m) Non licet Ecclesiae quicquam constituere quod verbo Dei scripto adversetur Reformat Leg. Eccles c. 11. p. 5. The Scripture teaches the manner of our Ministrations as to the main and our Offices and Canons for Discipline are drawn up by those Divine Directions the rest is supplied out of Primitive Antiquity as to Ceremonies and things not Essential and both are finally confirmed by our Laws Thus we have accurately prescribed Forms for all our Ministrations from which if any private Minister might vary and follow his
ever he become sensible of his Sin and his danger he must then perceive your charity and love And then he will hate his Flatterers (o) Prov. xxviii 23. Fides in praesentiâ eos quibus restitit offendit deinde ab illis ipsis suspicitur laudaturque Plin. lib. 3. ep 9. and truly love you p 'T is recorded of Amasis who from a Captain of Robbers was advanced to be King of Egypt that he enriched only those Oracles which had discovered his thefts while he was a private Man and so helpt to reform him (q) Pontanus Bellar. Attica However Thirdly Though you suffer the wrath of a foolish Man by reproving him you gain the favour of Almighty God and on the contrary when Christ enjoyns you to speak you displease him by a silent conniving and only offend a mortal Man by your speaking (r) Inter haec quid agant quibus loquendi à Christo Officia mandata sunt Deo displicent si tacent hominibus si loquuntur Salv. ad Eccl. l. 4. In which case our Lord hath told you which of these you ought most to fear (s) Matth. x. 28. if he were a Prince that could kill your Body that ought not to terrifie you so much as the wrath of God who can cast Body and Soul into Hell But here I must observe that 't is not commonly the negligence of the Priests but the pride and obstinacy of the people that hinders the discharge of the salutary Office they foresee 't is to cast their Pearls before such wretched creatures as will either rudely trample them under their Feet or barbarously turn again and rent them with injuries and reproaches (t) Matth. vii 6. in which case Reason as well as Conscience doth excuse them if they be silent (u) Prov. i. 25 26. Frustra niti neque aliud fatigando nisi odium quaerere extremae dementiae est Theod. à Niem de Schismate l. 1. cap. 5. for God hath given up such to a reprobate mind They think it a piece of gallantry to despise the Profession as well as the Monitions of a poor Priest but they forget he is God's Messenger sent on purpose to save them from Eternal ruin so that this Contempt ends in an affront to the Divine Majesty on whose Errand they come and whose Commission they have (u) Luke x. 16. Piissimus Dominus Communem sibi cum servis suis honorem contumeliam facit Salv. lib. 8. and in the certain loss of their immortal Souls (w) Prov. xxix 1. and if this be a privilege of great Men they claim a right not to be disturbed when they are about to destroy themselves When St. Ambrose reproved a noble Emperor for his faults he thus expostulates Who will you hear in Gods cause if you will not hear his Priest Do you Sin at any ones peril so much as his who is to answer for your Soul Who will dare to tell you the truth if the Priest dare not do it (x) In causâ vero Dei quem audies si Sacerdotem non audies Cujus majore peccatur periculo Quis tibi verum audebit dicere si Sacerdos non audeat Ambr. Ep. 17. T. 5. p. 212. And 't is observed by St. Cyril that David though a King was not angry at Nathan though he sharply reproved him for odious Crimes because he consider'd the Sender rather than him that was sent (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Catech. illum 2. Alas those who despise the Physician of their Souls do the greatest hurt to themselves for they provoke God and his Messengers both to desert them and then their disease is incurable and their destruction unavoidable So that I heartily wish Men would in honour to God and love to their own Souls pay more respect to the Calling and give a greater regard to the prudent and seasonable admonitions of their Ministers and rather encourage them to so beneficial on Office than by their scorn and rage force them to neglect it and leave them to Sin without restraint and consequently to perish without remedy §. 4. Quest V. Will you be diligent in Prayers and in Reading of the Holy Scriptures and in such Studies c. As the Priest moves in a higher Sphere so he hath a greater compass of Duty than a Deacon First he is to be more diligent both in private Prayer for the help of God's Spirit and a blessing on his Studies and in the daily repeating twice the publick and common Prayer in the Church to which our Rubrick binds both Priests and Deacons if they be in health and not hindred by any urgent cause (z) See the second Rubrick just before the Discourse of Ceremonies and just after the Preface which constant Reading of Morning and Evening Prayer in publick is also strictly enjoyned by the ancient Canons (a) Concil S. Patric can 7. Spelm. T. 1. p. 52. Concil Tolet. 1. can 5. An. 400. Bin. Tom. 1. p. 597. and is most unaccountably neglected by too many among us who have assented and consented to this among other injunctions yet rarely do it to the great decay of Piety in both Ministers and People a fault that the Bishops ought to see amended But to proceed 2ly the Priest must have a larger share of knowledge both as to Scripture and all that leads to the understanding thereof than a Deacon wherefore he is here enjoyned more diligently to read the Bible of which before and more closely to follow his Study in all those parts of Learning which are the Hand-maids of Theology the Queen of all Sciences And 3ly That he may be at leisure for this he is to promise he will lay aside the Study of the World and the Flesh which we have proved are impediments to and really inconsistent with a contemplative life So that the principal thing here to be remarked is the necessity and the method of a Clergy-mans studying 'T is certain he cannot Preach profitably confute Errors defend the Truth and solve cases of Conscience without a compleat knowledge of God's word to which he cannot arrive now inspiration is ceased unless he know most of the learned Languages as well those in which the Holy Scriptures were originally Writ as those into which they were anciently Translated and by which the Fathers explained them Moreover he ought to be well Read in all parts of Natural Rational and Moral Philosophy and so must be skilful in Logic Metaphysics Physics and the Ethics of the better sort of Heathen Writers To which should be added the knowledge of all parts of Philology That is He should read the best of the Classical Authors especially the Orators and Poets wherein excellent morality is to be found and the choicest Criticks who treat of Phrases Coins Weights and Measures with all those Rites and Customs which tend to illustrate the Holy Text Nor ought he to be unacquainted with History of all
sorts and especially the History of those Ages which are coincident with the times and of those Countries which are spoken of in or adjacent to the places mentioned in Holy Scripture to which Chronology and Geography will exceedingly conduce In short there are few parts of human Learning that are not some way or other necessary to accomplish a Divine But what directly concerns him is That which is properly called Theology and so he must be well versed in all Writers Systematical Textual Historical Polemical and Practical The Systematical are the Catechists Ancient and Modern and the Authors of whole Bodies of Divinity The Textual are the learned and laborious Commentaries of the Holy Fathers and later Orthodox Divines The Historical are such as have writ the sacred story of the Jewish and Christian Church in general or the Lives of the Fathers and most eminent Bishops and Doctors together with the Collectors of the Councils and Ecclesiastical Laws of Christian Princes The Polemical are the ancient Apologists and those Orthodox Fathers who defended the Christian Religion against Paganism and old Heresies as also such as have maintained the Doctrine and Rites of the Reformed Church of England against Papists and Dissenters Finally The Practical Authors are the Editors and Explainers of Liturgies the compilers of Offices for private Devotion and such as write about Piety and a Holy life in general or concerning any particular Virtue or Vice And that he may not lose time either by an ill method of Study or an ill choice of Books in all faculties there are some very usefull Writers who will direct him in these matters some few of which I shall only name and refer my Reader to them (b) Hug. Grotij alior Disserationes de studiis instituend Amstel 1645. Apparatus ad Theolog. per Steph. Penton Lond. 1688. Bishop Barlow ' s direction for Study and D. Bray ' s Parochial Library concluding with this advice to keep Common places and Methodical repositories of all the choice things they would remember for which there are very good Rules in Drexelius (c) Hierem. Drexelij Aurifodina in ejus Oper. in Fol. Tom. 4. pag. 739. And to this end a young Divine should be provided of a Bible a Concordance a Common-Prayer-Book and the Articles and Canons all interleaved with a large common place Book that may lie ready the first to note down all choice Explications of any Text the second for the signification of Words and Phrases the third for what is agreeable to our Offices especially in the Primitive Writers the fourth for such things in antiquity chiefly as vindicate our Doctrine and Disciple And the last for a general Repository of all Philological and Moral Notions By the daily use of which a studious Man will not only surely retain whatever he Reads even to his old Age but will always be furnished by consulting these Collections of his own with variety of proper Matter for Sermons Disputations or Discourses upon any subject in a few hours time the advantage of which is so great especially when our Memories begin to fail that such as have taken pains this way in their youth can never be surprized nor unprovided This short account may suffice to shew how necessary it is that a Clergy-man should have a liberal Maintenance to furnish him with some of the best Books in all Sciences secular (d) Rudes secularium literarum cum loqui nesciunt tacere non possunt prius imperitorum magistri quam doctorum discipuli Hieron ep 8. p. 76. and sacred For what the Italian Proverb saith of a well furnished House that it makes a notable Dame (e) Camera adorna fà Donna savia Prov. Ital. G. Torrian p. 16. We may say of a well filled Study it makes an eminent Divine and doubtless we must ascribe the ignorance of some and the looseness of others in Holy Orders principally to this fatal want because it cannot be supposed that Men of ingenuous education should either be so dull as not to improve with all those helps or so wretched as to seek mean or loose company when they have at home the benefit of conversing with the most learned and best Men of all Ages And considering how large a field he that desires to be an accomplished Scholar hath to expatiate in and what noble objects he hath to pursue if he be never so young and strong he hath employment enough for his whole life and for all the hours he can spare from his Offices and the necessary business of his Family He will have no time to squander away upon the World and the Flesh who has a generous ambition to improve himself in all these kinds of knowledge yet will find a satisfaction in this laborious course of Study abundantly sufficient to recompence him for all his pains §. 5. Quest VII Will you maintain and set forwards as much as lieth in you quietness peace and love c. When we consider that Christ was stiled the Prince of peace before his Incarnation (f) Isai ix 6. that he was welcomed at his Birth with the Angels singing Peace on Earth (g) Luke ii 14. that his Gospel is the Gospel of peace (h) Ephes vi 15. and that he gives a peculiar blessing to the makers of peace (i) Matth. v. 9. we cannot wonder it should be one of the Duties of his Ministers to promote Peace and Charity among all Christians and especially among the people committed to their special care I have shewed before in the Preface how far the chief Priests among the Heathens and Bishops of the Christian Church were privileged in taking up all publick and private quarrels and shall only note here that our Saviour intended all the Clergy should be concerned in this Office of peace-making for they wait at the Altar and are to oblige the injurious person to leave his gift there and to be reconciled to his Brother before the Priest may accept and offer it (k) Matth. v. 23 24. which no doubt gave occasion to those ancient Canons that enjoyn the Clergy not to receive the oblations of such as were at enmity (l) Concil 4. Carth. can 93. ap Bin. T. 1. p. 589. and order them to rebuke such as they perceived lived in malice and if they proved obstinate to suspend them from the Sacrament till they were made Friends (m) Concil Agath An. 506. can 31. Bin. T. 2. par 1. p. 556. by which we may see that our Rubrick which laies the same injunction upon every Priest (n) See the third Rubrick before the Communion is grounded on Holy Scripture and the Canons as well as the Practice of the Primitive Church And if it were duly performed as it is solemnly promised by all the Clergy it would be of inestimable benefit to the Laity by preventing all quarrels and dissension hindring chargeable and expensive Law Suits and extirpating the mischievous effects
of malice and mutual provocation introducing Unity Peace and Concord with all the blessed consequences of Love Charity and Beneficence This would make Towns and Cities Families and Neighborhoods easie and happy and every Man would share in this blessed Tranquility There are in all places instruments of Sathan to sow and enflame discord and either out of ill nature or for gain (o) Qui lites creant qui si nihil est litium lites serunt Plaut in Penul 3. 2. p. 874. to disturb the repose of Mankind and who so fit as the Servants of the God of Peace to countermine those Agents of the Prince of Darkness They can best set forth the gracious promises made to Peace and Unity the dreadful threatnings against variance and strife hatred and malice they are most proper to shew their people the Sin and mischief of living in Enmity which makes them and their prayers odious to God and will hinder his remitting their offences against him banish the holy Spirit of love from their Souls and qualifie them for no other Society but that of Hell And they who have such a Pastor ought to receive his advice and admonitions with all humility and gratitude and chearfully to leave their quarrels to his mediation and arbitrement But if they shall on either side be found implacable the party who is willing to be reconciled may be admitted to the Holy Sacrament (p) Quid faciemus in quorum potestate voluntas tantum pacis est non effectus Heir Ep. 62. because the innocent must not suffer for the guilty while the other as our Rubrick directs is to be suspended from it and his obstinacy notified to the Bishop that by his Authority he may either be brought to a reconciliation or prosecuted for his malice 'T is evident the Laity in the Primitive times voluntarily desired Bishops and Priests to decide their differences and it is remarked by the writer of St. Augustine's life That at the request of his people he spent the forenoon often and sometimes the whole day fasting while he was hearing their causes but would not leave off till he had decided them (q) Interpellatus ergo causas audiebat diligentèr pie usque ad horam refectionis aliquando autem totâ die jejunus semper tamen dirimebat Possidon in vit Aug. I doubt not but the Clergy are now as willing to undertake this charitable office especially in such controversies where there is no Title or nice point of Law to be determined as those of ancient times and certainly it would be our peoples great advantage to accept of yea to encourage their Mediation §. 6. Quest VIII Will you reverently obey your Ordinary c. This being the same in our Offices both of Deacon and Priest had not been repeated here but only to observe that the Roman Church only requires this promise of Canonical obedience from Priests (r) Vid. Pontif. Rom. in Ord. Presb. p. 54. and that is all the engagements they enter into but only to say a few Masses and pray for the Bishop and these two last particulars are late Additions (s) Vid. Pontif. Innoc. 8. edit An. 1485. For they were not in the Pontifical of Pope Innocent the 8th Printed about 100 years ago Now the engaging their Priests only to obey their Superiors and not to perform the Duties of their Office enjoyned by Christ as we do Looks as if they were more concerned for the Polity of their Church than for the Salvation of Souls and considering the tendency of our distinct Questions to make our Priests careful of their whole Duty I doubt not but every impartial Man will judge our Office excels theirs in this as well as in most other things CHAP. V. Of the Bishops and Peoples Prayers THe Priests having solemnly promised to perform all these necessary and weighty parts of their Pastoral Office by God's help First the Bishop openly prays for them in these words §. 1. Almighty God who hath given you this Will to do all these things Grant also unto you strength c. The Lutheran Forms after the Questions and Answers cited before have a Prayer very like this in substance (t) Dominus igitur noster Jesus Christus summus Pastor Episcopus animarum nostrarum vos in hac fide in Christiano proposito clementer confirmet conservet Form Lips An. 1624. And this being pronounced by the Bishop who is Christ's immediate Officer must be looked on as a Benediction and not barely Petitionary Though we see the Ordainer gives all the glory to God ascribing to him that good will which they have declared in freely undertaking these Duties without whom we are not sufficient so much as to think one good thought (u) 2 Cor. 3.5 much less to make so many holy Resolutions Now upon this ground that the pious inclination and religious purpose came from God the Bishop proceeds rightly to beg of the Divine Author of their good will to grant them strength and power to perform all that they have promised which is no more but the accomplishing of that Work which he hath begun They did own in the first answer that God's Spirit they believed moved them to take on them this Sacred Calling and he disposed them freely to engage that they will do all the Duties thereof Now though resolving to do well be the beginning yet putting these Resolves in execution is the finishing of every good Work and Performance is the only perfection of a Promise The Bishop finds therefore God hath begun and he hopes he will accomplish this Work yea he may say with St. Paul to his Philippians He makes this request with joy being confident of this very thing that he who hath begun will certainly go on to perfect this good Work (w) Philip. i. 6. Which place as we find in the life of St. Bernard (x) Vit. D. Bernardi p. 1967. being read in the Church the same day that the holy Father and his Companions had vowed to live a very strict life they were much encouraged and went away rejoycing Our Lord hath declared it is his method to give to him that hath already (y) St. Matth. xiii 12. and Chap. xxv 9. He that thankfully receives and carefully improves a good thought into a holy purpose shall be enabled to do what he hath resolved Wherefore the Persons now to be Ordained having found the grace of God Making them willing to promise may say with St. Augustine (z) Ab illo in me perfici fideliter spero à quo inchoatum esse humiliter gaudeo nec in eo quod non donavit incredulus nec in eo quod jam donavit ingratus Aug. ad Maced ep 52. T. 2. fol. 48. They hope firmly that the same God will perfect in them that which they rejoyce humbly to find he hath begun And they cannot doubt of that which he hath not yet given them without being
in duties of Piety and Charity making them full of Love both to God and to their Neighbours Be pleased therefore thus to anoint us who need all these Blessed Qualifications Ver. 4. Material Oyl being inflamed is soon exhausted and then its light ceases but thy Spiritual Oyl will burn and shine for ever By it therefore enable us to have a right judgment in all things and direct us with perpetual Light in all our ways to cure the dulness of our slow understandings and remove the ill effects of our natural darkness and almost blinded sight which makes us so apt to err in Spiritual things Ver. 5. As the Jews when they Feasted and rejoyced used to anoint their Faces with perfumed Oyl to make their Skin smooth and fair and give their Countenances a chearful air (q) Psal civ 15. Matth. vi 17. Duo sunt liquores corporibus hominum gratissimi intus Vini foris Olei Plin. l. 14. c. 22. be thou pleased in like manner to anoint and chear our Souls which have contracted a soiled Face and mournful Figure in our late days of Fasting and Penitence for our Sins Seal our Pardon and Chear our Spirits with the abundance of thy grace which will extreamly refresh us and make us lovely in our Redeemers Eyes to whom above all things we desire to be acceptable Ver. 6. And that nothing from without may disturb our inward Joy and Comfort make the world peaceable Keep far off from us all our Foes that would invade us from Foreign Countries and also Give Peace to us at home in our own Land that neither this Church or state may be shaken by Faction Schism or Sedition And direct us as well as guard us for where thou art our constant Guide no ill can come either to our Souls or Bodies Ver. 7. Where thou art our Teacher Mysteries become easie to our Faith Therefore do thou Teach us to know the Blessed Trinity in Unity for our everlasting Salvation (r) John xvii 3. even the Father Almighty our Creator the Eternal Son our Redeemer And Thee O Holy Spirit our Sanctifier who proceedest of both to be really Three Persons and yet but one God Ver. 8 and 9. Which right Knowledge will direct us rightly to praise thee So that as it has been in the true Church through the Ages all along from the beginning this may be also our endless Song to be continued down to our latest Posterity Glory and Praise be given to thy Eternal Merit who art ever deserving from us and all mankind fresh and lasting acknowledgments O Blessed Father beloved Son and Holy Spirit may the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity thus be adored and glorified for ever and ever Amen CHAP. VII Of the Large Collect before the Ordination §. 1. THat Prayer was a Principal Part of this Office was shewed before the Forms are various in divers Churches there is something like this of ours in Antiquity (s) Clement Constit l. 8. c. 24. fol. 141. but nothing is so full and so exact as this in any Church being made at the Reformation and continued ever since without any alteration The Analysis of this Collect. This Collect hath two General Parts 1st The Laudatory part wherein there is 1. The Original cause of all God's Mercies Almighty God who of thine infinite love c. 2 Some proper instances viz. 1 His giving us his Son Hath given to us thine only and most dearly c. 2. Sending the Apostles and other Pastors Sent abroad his Apostles Prophets c. 3. Their success and the effect of their preaching By whose labour and ministry he c. 4. Providing this succession of Ministers And for that thou hast vouchsafed to call these c. 3. An Act of Praise for them all We tender unto thee most hearty thanks c. 2ly The Precatory part and there in 1. The petitions for all Christian people 1. That they may be thankful And we humbly beseech thee to grant unto all which c. 2. And also grow in grace And that we may daily increase and go forwards in the knowledge c. 2. Those for Priests and people both 1. That by both Gods name may be glorified So that aswell by these thy Ministers as by them over whom c. 2ly And his Kingdom further extended And thy blessed Kingdom enlarged 3. The pressing conclusion Through the same thy Son Iesus Christ our Lord c. Amen A Discourse upon the larger Collect. §. 2. ALmighty God and Heavenly Father who of thy infinite Love c. Nothing can more fitly dispose us to praise Almighty God who shews himself to be our Heavenly Father by providing a proper Ministry for his Spouse the Church our Mother than serious reflection upon the whole Oeconomy of our Redemption and all the steps he hath made towards this mighty blessing So that 't is proper here to consider that when our first Parents fell from their Innocence they brought two evils upon their Posterity First The Guilt and then the power of Sin Now our Lord and Saviour undertook the removing of both First of our Guilt by his Death and Secondly of our Bondage under its power by his most holy Ordinances and his Word and in order to this he left his Ministers in all Ages to apply these means to this great end And therefore upon the ordaining new Pastors 't is very fit we should acknowledge 1st In general The true original of that Fatherly care he hath expressed by this gracious Provision which was no merit in us but his infinite love and innate goodness we did not deserve nor could we requite such concern for our eternal welfare his own desire of our Salvation and propensity to do good alone excited him this favour was shewed freely (t) Gratia est gratis data non meritis operantis sed miseratione donantis Aug. Ep. 120. Upon this principle he first gave us his only and therefore most dearly beloved Son (u) Gen. xxii 2. Angl. thy only Son ex Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Though he was and had been the delight of his Bosom from all eternity yet when our Salvation needed him to be the Author and necessary cause of it (w) Hebr. v. 9. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He freely sent him not only to take our Nature but our Guilt upon himself For which by his Death upon the Cross he did so fully satisfie his Fathers justice that he who never boasted said it is finished (x) Johan xix 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc And St. Paul hath declared There is now no more need of any other or further offering for Sin (y) Hebr. ix 25 26 and chap. x. 14. which our most learned Reformers judiciously put into this Collect and say he made perfect our Redemption by his Death with a plain design to confute that false Opinion of the Roman Church
if we have any sense of his goodness or any concern for our own Salvation we are on this occasion bound humbly to thank heartily to praise and devoutly to worship him and this may suffice for the Laudatory part §. 3. And we humbly beseech thee by the same thy blessed Son to grant unto all c. Having excited our selves to a vigorous Devotion by these obliging memorials of God's care for our eternal welfare we fitly begin to pray it may not be in vain When the Vine-yard is drest with so much cost and pains it is a shame it should bring forth either no fruit or only wild Grapes (l) Isai v. 2. Pro uvis labruscae Prov. pro spe frustratâ Drus prov cent 1. Class 1. this will highly offend God and end in our own ruin at last (m) Hebr. â—â— 7 8. Such kindness and culture deserves a very plentiful return (n) Debemus imitari agros fertiles qui multo plus afferunt quam acceperunt Cicer. de offic l. 1. Heaven justly expects it and therefore we Pray through the Mediation of Jesus Christ That not only we but all other Christians who in any part of the World believe in and call upon God's holy name by these Mens preaching (o) Rom. x. 14 15. Emissione auditus ex auditu fides à fide oratio may not only bless him at present as is done in the words of this Collect but also continue to shew our selves truly thankful to Almighty God for this his extraordinary care of our Souls as well as for all other his benefits Now true gratitude to God for appointing and sending his Ministers will express it self by our reverencing their Persons attending on their Administrations giving great regard to their advice their exhortations and reproofs looking on them as the Physicians of our Souls and consulting with them when we need Direction or Comfort Encouragement in well doing or Aid in resisting Temptation If we were to pass a difficult and dangerous way and had a guide sent us by a kind friend nothing can prove us grateful for the favour but our frequent enquiring of and duely following this Director and if our People do not treat their Pastor so they are unthankful to God unkind to his Messenger and careless of their Souls health By letting our Pastor know our case he will be enabled to apply proper remedies for our Ignorance or Infidelity and so we should daily encrease in Faith and Knowledge and answer the end of this Heavenly Mission by our growing up to a perfection in Christ Jesus (p) Ephes iv 13. If we see a Husbandman going to Sow we wish him good speed even in common Charity but when our own Souls are the Field and we now behold fresh Labourers sent into God's Harvest shall we not wish them success in the name of the Lord (q) Psal cxxvi 5 6. Ruth ii 4. especially since by their prospering we improve it may please them but the profit is principally ours yet so as we only are the losers if he do his Duty and we reap no advantage for he shall be rewarded according to his pains not after his success (r) 1 Cor. iii. 8. Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in loc So that we are infinitely concerned to do our best that his Ministry may profit us all and then both these Ministers and those over whom they are appointed may joyn in Glorifying God's name the Pastor for God's blessing on his Ministry and the people for the good they have had by his labours And besides the glory thus comming to God from those who are now made Christians his prospering the labours of those his Servants will also enlarge his Kingdom by the convincing of Infidels and converting impenitent Sinners who from slaves of Sathan and Heirs of Hell may become Subjects to the King of Heaven and Heirs of Glory These are the desirable fruits the happy consequences of a good Pastors doing his Duty with success and if we seriously consider their number and mighty importance it will move us earnestly to beg of God to bless these Mens present undertaking and future endeavours through Jesus Christ who Liveth and Reigneth c. Amen CHAP. VIII Of the Solemn Words §. 1. HAving spoken of the Imposition of Hands which Rite is common to all Three Orders in the former Part (s) See Par. I. Chap. 4. §. 1. I am now only to observe that as the Priest and Deacon have distinct Offices so in our Church they are admitted to them by a different Form of words which is more proper than with the Greeks to use the very same Form for a Priest as they do for a Deacon only naming the several Orders (t) Vide Euchol p. 250. Collat. cum p. 292. herein therefore we follow the usage of the Western Church as the best for they have two distinct Forms for these two Orders (u) Pontific Roman p. 53. and use the first part of this Form of ours Receive thou the Holy Ghost c. without any variation I confess Morinus affirms that the ancient Forms of Ordination as well in the Latine as the Greek Church were only Prayers for the Holy Spirit and invocatory not indicative or imperative which usage as he proves began to be added in the Margin of the old Formularies about 500 years ago (w) Vid. Morin de Ord. Latin in Vet. Form circ An. 1180. p. 338. Item Exercit. 2. Par. 3. c. 2. p. 22. And after that it was made by the School-men the Form of the Character and the sole words by which it was conveyed or communicated I shall not dispute that nicety but since I find our Reformers have retained these Words I doubt not but they derived them from an higher Original even from the Holy Gospel out of which I shall now shew both parts of this Form are taken §. 2. Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Priest c. whose Sins thou dost forgive they are forgiven c. And be thou a faithful dispencer c. In the name of the Father c. This Form is taken from our Blessed Saviour's own Words after his Ascension when he solemnly Sent his Disciples to Preach the Gospel for then he said receive ye the Holy Ghost c. z (x) John xx 21 22 23. Hence the Lutheran Form prescribes the reading these very words out of St. John's Gospel (y) Legatur ex Johan Cap. 20. Dominus noster Jesus Christus dixit Accipite Spiritum Sanctum c. Form Lips An. 1624. and then after the Lord's Prayer and a Collect that Office thus explains them We commend to you the Ministry of the Word of God and the power of the Keys in binding and loosing Sins and in the administration distributing and consecrating the Venerable Sacraments according to the institution of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Name of the Father c. And doubtless
the greater after the method of the Civil Government and this in or soon after the Apostles times (k) Hammond de Episc jur Disser 4. c. 5. p. 189. Petr. de Marca de concord lib. 6. cap. 1. §. 5. p. 175. Dr. Cave Dis of Anc. ch Gov. chap. 2. p. 90. for then the Bishops of the Proconsular Asia were subject to Timothy Bishop of Ephesus which then was the Metropolis of that Province Which chief Bishop was originally stiled the first Bishop as his Title is in the Apostolical Canons where the inferior Bishops are ordered to own him as their Head and to do nothing of moment without his consent (l) Apostol Can. 34. Bever Tom. 1. p. 22. Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Africa this principal Bishop was called the Primate (m) Du Fresn Glossar verb. Primates but elsewhere from his living in the Mother City he was named the Metropolitan (n) Synod Antiochen Can. 9. Bev. T. 1. p. 438. And from his Authority over other Bishops he was called the Arch-Bishop a Title given to Peter Bishop of Alexandria in Dioclesian's time (o) Epiphan Panar haer 68. fol. 318. and also to Alexander Bishop of the same See (p) Athanas Apol. 2. pag. 791. as also to Meletius Bishop of Thebais the head City of a Province in Egypt (q) Epiphan haer 69. fol. 324. Yea for some time this Name was given to the great Patriarchs for Cyril of Alexandria and Coelestine of Rome are frequently stiled Arch-Bishops in the Ephesine Council (r) Concil Ephesin par 2. Bin. Tom. 1. par 2. pag. 168 177. c. and Pope Foelix the third gives that Title to Acacius Bishop of Constantinople (s) Foelic 3. Ep. ad Zon. Aug. Bin. T. 2. par 1. p. 453. There were divers Privileges belonging to theâ—â— Arch-Bishops but the Principal was that no Bishop in their Province could be ordained without their presence or consent (t) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nicen. can 4. Bev. T. 1. p. 63. Vid. can 6. ib. p. 66. A right declared in the first General Council and then thought so inherent in the Metropolitan that the Consecration was to be void without him and hence Synesius calls his Arch-Bishop The Lord of the Ordination (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes Ep. 105. p 249. To which Primitive Canon our Church so strictly adheres that it is required the Arch-Bishop shall by himself or his Lawful Proxy always consecrate every Bishop As to the Oath of Canonical Obedience which the Bishop ordained takes to the Arch-Bishop no doubt it sprung from this Primitive Superiority in the Metropolitan but is of a later date At first it was thought sufficient in words to admonish the inferiour Bishops to observe those Canons which declared their subjection to the Metropolitan but afterwards a promise was required Which Anastasius Arch-Bishop of Thessalonica at the Consecration of Atticus a subordinate Bishop carried higher and made him subscribe a Paper for which Pope Leo reproves that Metropolitan as guilty of an unnecessary innovation (w) Non enim necessarium fuerat ut obligaretur scripto Leo I. epist ad Anastas 84. p. 447. circ An. Dom. 440. Yet in the following Ages this Promise was turned into an Oath extended also to Priests who as well as Bishops were made to swear That they were worthy would not break the Canons and would obey their Ordainers and the Church in which they were ordained Which Oath was declared dangerous and ensnaring and abolished by a French Council (x) Jurare cegunt quod digni sunt contra Canones non sint facturi obedientes sint Episcopo qui eos ordinat Ecclesiae in qua ordinantur Concil Cabilon Can. 13. An. 813. Bin. T. 3. Par. 1. p. 193. However the Bishops promise of due obedience was then in use as appears by the Vatican Form of Consecration in that Age extant in Morinus where the Arch-Bishop only asks Will you be obedient to my See (y) Morin de Ordin Lat. Form Vatican in Consecr Episc p. 276. But in the middle of the next Century this Promise was much enlarged in the Particulars and turned into a solemn Profession made in the Name of God (z.) Vid. Morin ibid. in alt Form circ An. 950. p. 305. amounting to an Oath (a) Pontifices jurant ante Consecrationem omnem morum honestatem debitam obedientiam se exhibituros suis Ordinatoribus Ivo Carnot ep 73. circ An. 1100. and within 150 year after a formal Oath was again brought into use wherein the Parties Consecrated swore to live well and obey their Ordainers (a) Pontifices jurant ante Consecrationem omnem morum honestatem debitam obedientiam se exhibituros suis Ordinatoribus Ivo Carnot ep 73. circ An. 1100. But whereas of old this Oath was only taken by each Suffragan to his own Metropolitan Pascal the Second soon after required all Arch-Bishops to take an Oath of Fidelity as he called it to the Pope but the Arch-Bishop of Panormus in Sicily refused it as a New Imposition which the King and Nobles there wondred at and disliked (b) Decretal l. 1. Tit. 6. de Elect. c. 4. p. 122. Decr. Significasti and that Pope there owns no Council had decreed any such thing but he required it of his own Authority I know some would have this Oath to the Pope as old as Pelagius the Second but his Decretal speaks of a Metropolitan's declaring his Faith to be Orthodox (e) Quicunque Metropolitanus intra tres Consecrationis suae menses ad exponendam fidem suam non miserit c. Pelag. 2. ap Grat. Decret Par. 2. Dist 100. cap. Quoniam p. 182. An. 580. a custom of which I shall speak shortly which the Roman Parasites have corrupted (d) Dandae fidei causa ita legit Remund Rufus Defens in Molin p. 20. as if he were to give his Faith or swear fealty to the Pope a Custom so modern that in the elder Fomularies of Morinus though some of them be 400 year later than Pelagius the Second there appears nothing of it And doubtless it was hatched in the Hildebrandine Age above 1000 years after Christ being more like an Oath of Allegiance to a Temporal Prince than of Canonical Obedience to an Ecelesiastical Prelate and probably it was first administred only to such Bishops and Arch-Bishops as were within St. Peter's Patrimony and subject to the Pope as a Temporal Prince and so by degrees imposed upon all the Bishops especially the Metropolitans of the Popish part of Christendom The Oath it self as it was at first may be seen in the Body of the Canon Law (e) Decretal Greg. 9. Lib. 2. Tit. 24. de Juâ—ejur c. 4. p. 8â—7 falsly ascribed to Gregory the Third But even that lofty Form did not satisfie the Ambition of later Popes who instead of swearing to desend the Rules of the holy Fathers put
received by the Church for which end they promise upon the third Question to exercise themselves in Study and Prayer to gain a complete understanding of the Holy Scripture And if a Bishop be throughly inlightned with this Divine knowledge the bright beams thereof will banish all Erroneous Opinions and make them disperse as the Mists before the Rays of the resplendent Sun The inferior Clergy may confute false Doctrines but Bishops being supposed to have more Skill and Experience as well as more Age and Authority they must drive them away They are set in the Watch-towers to discover Heresies and like wise and valiant Generals one of which is worth a whole Army (e) 2 Sam. xviii 3. Solent plus reponere in duce quam exercitu Tacit. de Morib Germ. p. 663. must not only Fight against them themselves but must advise manage and encourage all the Under-officers and Soldiers Hence the ancient Canons lay great stress upon the Bishops care in this matter And order That if any Bishop let the Hereticks alone in any part of his Diocess and another Bishop shall convert them that Town shall be given to the latter Bishop (f) Concil Carthag can 122. ap Ber. T. 1. p. 655. And the former Bishop is to be admonished of this neglect so as if he persist in this negligence six Months after such Admonition he shall be Excommunicated (g) Ibid. Can. 124. apud eund pag. 658. Wherefore when Riparius complained to St. Hierom that Vigilantius spread his Heresie in that Diocess where he was a Priest the Holy Father wonders that the Bishop should not restrain such fury (h) Miror sanctum Episcopum in cujus Parochia esse Presbyter dicitur acquiescere furori ejus c. Hieron ad Ripar Ep 53. T. 2. p. 152. And besides this promise our Bishops are obliged frequently to confer with Recusants and to do their utmost to reclaim them As our Canons enjoyn (i) Canon 66. of the Church of England And here I could give many instances of divers of our learned and zealous Bishops who have not only secured their own People from Heresie and Schism but converted divers Recusants of all sorts And if all our right reverend Fathers remembring this solemn promise would apply themselves to this necessary Duty with a Zeal suitable to the occasion their Dignity and Station would give great weight to their Arguments and their Example would also quicken the inferior Clergy to do their parts in the places that are under their several charges And multitudes of poor Souls bought with the most precious Blood of Christ now wandring in the dangerous and destructive Paths of Popery and Fanaticism would every were be happily reclaimed and brought over to the Church To which pious and charitable design I shall humbly and briefly offer two or three motives First That the present Toleration as to Protestant Dissenters having suspended the Bishops exercise of their Authority in this Matter there is no way left to reduce this sort of Recusants but by Arguments and Persuasion and as to Papists those always were and are the fairest ways of convincing them nor if we had power ought we to imitate that unchristian Rigour which we condemn them for using to foreign Protestants (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dict. Marciani Aug in Concil Chaled Bin. T. 2. p. 361. so contrary to the practice of the Primitive Church (l) Socrat. Hist l. 7. c. 3. pag. 733. as well as to the Spirit of the Gospel (m) Luke ix 55. Secondly Let the goodness of our Cause be considered Our Doctrines are so plainly contained in Holy Scripture our Offices and Rites so proper Pious and Primitive and have been so clearly justified against all opposers by many eminent Writers of this Church That if we can but win its deluded Adversaries to hear us Reason or Read our Books there is little doubt of success and their Priests and Teachers know this which makes them hinder them as much as in them lies from hearing or reading what we say or write Lastly Let the vigilance and strangely busie zeal of Seducers be duly considered who like their ancestors the Pharisees compass Sea and Land to make one Proselyte and ply those they find doubting wavering or discontented night and day by Discourses Books and fair Promises and shall not we take as much pains to save Mens Souls as they do to destroy them to propagate Gods Holy and Eternal Truth as they to disseminate their pernicious Errors I shall add no more because I hope a word is sufficient to our worthy Bishops who generally use their utmost endeavours in this kind And merit praise rather than need Exhortation §. 4. Qu. VI. Will you maintain and set forward as much as shall lie in you quietness love and peace among all Men c. There is no more expected from a Priest but only to promote Peace and Charity and that is also the Duty of a Bishop as the former part of this Question shews but since the Canons of our own and the ancient Church as well as the Laws of this Land have put the Ecclesiastical Discipline into none but the Bishops hands who also have by God's word a just right to Administer the same Therefore it is required that they shall further promise To correct and punish the unquiet disobedient and criminous according to that Authority which they have both by God's Word and the Ordinance of this Realm I need not repeat that which I have proved in a peculiar tract viz. The Bishops having this Authority vested in them both by Scripture and the Laws Ecclesiastical and Civil (n) See my Discourse of Excommunication printed at London 1685. But I shall rather briefly shew here the manifold benefits that will arise from their due Execution of this power as to regulating the manners of those within the Church who only can be a scandal or an honour to it There are many faults among these for the purest Principles and Holyest Rules will not always secure the innocence of such as profess to believe and follow them But if the Rulers of the Church upon the discovery of them zealously and prudently labour to punish the offence and reform the Offender they not only save the honour of the Church but probably the Soul of the Criminal also which should be the great end of Church censures being a Power that is given for Edification and not for Destruction as the Apostle declares (o) See ch 8. §. 2. 2 Corinth xiii 10. Now since Bishops cannot amend the Evils they do not know Therefore the ancient Canons require That they shall personally visit their whole Diocess once every year (p) Unusquisque Episcopus Parochiam suam omni anno semel circumeat Concil Calcuth Can. 3. An. 857. Spelm. T. 1. p. 193. and the present usage is for them to do this annually by their Arch-Deacons and once in three years by themselves
to gain the Profits of them as a Right to their Crown which he saith threatned Ruine to the Gallican Church because Bishops had the sole power to constitute Successors to supply the Ministrations proper to the lower Orders (f) Summis Sacerdotibus morte truncatis nec ullis deinceps Episcopis in defunctorum Officia suffectis per quos utique minorum Ordinum Ministeria subrogabantur ruinam imminere Ecclesiis Sidon l. 7. ep 6. Since therefore they have this sole Privilege doubtless it is very necessary strictly to require a Promise from them at their Consecration that they will faithfully perform this great trust of Ordaining and sending out fit Persons to execute the Priestly and Episcopal Offices For if they promote any that are Heterodox or Schismatical in their Opinions Weak and Unripe in their Judgments or Vicious and Debauched in their Lives either by negligence in due examining them before or which is worse by fear or favour be imposed upon it is the greatest Sin they can possibly commit and they are answerable for all the ill effects of admitting such Persons into so Holy an Employment The Roman Writers record of their famous Pope Leo the Great that for forty days together he fasted and prayed for Pardon of all his Transgressions and that at last St. Peter appeared to him and told him all should be forgiven him but the Sins of his Ordinations (g) Dimissa sunt tibi omnia peccata tua praeterquam impositionis manuum Pratum Spir. c. 149. ap Bin. not in Vit. S. Leonis And there is thus much moral in the Story that if a Bishop be of never so holy a Life and hath few Sins of his own by this means as St. Paul speaks he becomes partaker of other mens Sins (h) 1 Tim. v. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theop. in lo. because he is the occasion of all the ill consequences of putting an ill man into Sacred Orders And therefore many pious Bishops have opposed the Commands and Menaces of Princes and those of the highest Quality who have urged them to Ordain such as were evil and unfit and have therein shewed a commendable Zeal for God's Glory and the Good of the Church In the ignorant and wretched Ages before our Reformation this neglect had brought the Clergy into extream contempt which I chuse to express in the words of an honest Romish Author then living who says of the Bishops of his time They thrust men into Holy Orders that are like a company of Jack-daws Infamous Boys and Illiterate such as are not fit for any thing else and are not called by God contrary to the Rules of our Forefathers yet if any suffer a repulse he flies to Rome where the most holy Fathers admit Hostlers Cooks and Ideots to the Altars of the Great God yea such as in Germany would not be allowed to communicate among the Laity to the shame and grief of all good Men till they have made the Name of Priest to be a reproach surely they must have evil thoughts of Religion and themselves or design to abuse Christian People who do such things the Work shews the Artificer the Tree is known by its Fruit may Christ save us St. Peter is asleep and the other Simon not to say Antichrist hath got the Dominion (i) Aventini Annal. l. 2. p. 118. qui scripsit circ An. 1500. Thus alas it was then and no doubt it hastned the Reformation and since that in our Church though some few do creep in that prove very unworthy by fair Certificates gained by favour yet generally our Bishops and their Arch-Deacons are very careful to keep out ignorant and scandalous Men for which they deserve the highest applause and the general good Character of most of the Clergy shews that all due caution was taken in their Admission §. 6. Quest VIII Will you shew your self gentle and be merciful for Christ's sake to the poor and needy People and to all Strangers c. As Bishops succeeded the Apostles in all the ordinary parts of their Office so they did in the Primitive Times in their being Supream Treasurers of all the Oblations of the Faithful and by their Order they were distributed to the Poor and Needy of all sorts as I have shewed at large elsewhere (k) Act. iv 35. See the Divine Right of Tithes Par. I. c. 4. p. 60. Par. II. c. 15. p. 117. In those Ages therefore the care of the indigent lay almost wholly upon them So that the Ancient Author of the Apostolical Constitutions tells us they were to be addressed to at their admission in this Form O ye Bishops be careful to maintain all the Poor so as none may want Give to Orphans of the Gifts of their Parents to Widows those of their Husbands make Marriages for such as are grown up get Work for the Artificer shew Mercy to the Weak provide Meat for the Hungry Drink for the Thirsty Cloaths for the Naked Medicines for the Sick and Relief for the Prisoners (l) Constit Apostol l. 4. c. 2. fol. 60. In after times the case was altered in some measure since the building of Parochial Churches in all parts of the Diocesses to which the Bishops granted or confirmed all the Profits and Oblations formerly payed and presented at the Cathedral arising within those Precincts enjoyning the Parish Priest to take care of his own Poor And since that our Secular Laws have provided for the residence and relief of the Poor in every Parish yet still there are very many and great Objects of Charity especially in great Cities Decayed and Aged Labourers and Tradesmen Orphans and Widows Sick and Lame Blind and Maimed many undone by Fire and Water Thieves and Robbers many poor Strangers and Travellers and many confined to loathsom Prisons To which the Bishop is hereby obliged to be courteous and bountiful for Christ Jesus sake who takes that which is given them as lent to himself and will reward such Charity with a Crown of Glory (m) Prov. xix 17. Matth. xxv 34 35. His compassion interests him so far in their wants that he seems to beg in them and will be pleased by our giving them relief (n) Egestuosus pro se tantum in se eget Solus Christus est qui in omnium pauperuw universitate mendicat Salv. de gub l. 4. Now if all desire to hear those comfortable words of our Lord saith St. Hierom come ye blessed of my Father c. for I was Hungry and ye gave me meat c. how much more should a a Bishop his Steward desire to hear them whose House should be ready to receive all the necessitous (o) Matt. xxv 35 c. Cujus domus commune debet esse omnium hospitium Hieron in Tit. 1.8 'T is certain the Apostle's Rule That a Bishop must be given to Hospitality (p) 1 Tim. iii. 2. Titus i. 8. doth oblige in all Ages and