be noted that till this Third time that they make their peace with God by burnt-offerings and peace-offerings God doth not give them an answere of peace and prosperous successe Hence then ô England take thy patterne of seeking God and asking Counsel of Him First doe not first resolve with thy selfe to fight and then goe aske of God not whether thou shalt fight or no but onely who shall goe up first For then thou mayst speed as they did Secondly thinke it not sufficient to powre forth teares of worldly sorrow for thy discomfiture and therupon resolve to renew the battaile for which also though they had an Answere of God for it yet it was without any Promise of good Successe But Thirdly a Generall Fast must be Proclaimed over the Land and a Solemne Day must be kept in offering up the burnt offerings of an humble and contrite heart and peace offerings of reconciliation with God through faith in Christ joyned with a thorow Reformation of thy notorious Sins and transgressions wherewith the whole Land is burthened and defiled Then then I say and not before alwayes provided the Cause of Warre be known to be just as that of the Israelites was against the Benjamites their Brethren mayst thou with a good Conscience and sure confidence in God make thy Warre But what Sins are those which thou must reforme In brief thou must ô England call in those wicked and ungodly Bookes Orders Edicts Declarations whereby the Doctrines of Grace have been suppressed the Sanctification of the Sabbath cryed down Ministers persecuted and put out of their places much innocent blood hath been shed especially of those 3 banished Close Prisoners and to Summe up all in one head-Sinne to cast out those who are the maine Instruments and movers of all these and other outrages in the Land to wit the Prelates who as the limbs of Antichrist and so Christs adversaries doe of late especially challenge their Lordly Jurisdiction from Christ alone * which notwithstanding he hath expresly forbidden as heathenish and tyrennicall and which his ‡ Apostles branded for Antichristian and the Mystery of Iniquity So as till these usurpers of Christs Throne be cast out with all their Baggage and Trumpery of their Cermonies and will-worship be sure ô England thou canst not look to prosper in any thy undertakings be they never so just for in maintaining thy Prelates thou maintainest open Warre against Christ and his Kingdome and hadst thou eyes to see it against thine own Kingdome too and the peace and prosperity thereof But it will be alledged that thy Reverend Prelats hate a Publick Fast as being Puritanicall and consequently any such Reformation as aforesaid as being all Puritanicall that their Order is most Christian and consonant to Civil Government and most agreeable with the Monarchy and the like And therefore that thou art bound to defend them yea though it be by making open Warre against all those that doe withstand their Hiearchy Iâ— this be thy resolution ô England then know this for a certainty that thou canst not long stand seeing thy so maintaining of that Antichristian Tyranny is to wage open Warre against Iesus Christ the onely King of his Church And therfore if this be the cause and end of thy warlike preparations be sure thou shalt not prosper in why way how art thou so blind as not to se how thy prosperity must of necessity be thy ruine For as Christ saith * A Kingdome divided against it selfe cannot stand And so if the Iland which consists of two Kingdomes under one King be divided against it selfe and the one Kingdome destroy the other is it not as with the body when the right hand cuts off the left And shalt not thou ô England be hereby exposed to thy false friends and deadly enemies without who could not wish a better opportunity for the effecting of their long wished desire then to see this goodly Iland to imbrue her hands in her own bowels and blood And therefore if thou hast any such designe ô England who could who would counsel and instigate thee unto it but the Spirit of Iezebel of Rome possessing thy â—relotes who as those ‡ false Prophets bid thee to goe up against Ramâ—th Gilead and prosper But it wil be pretended they are Rebells whom thou wilt Warre against Wherein Rebells For casting our Christs enemies those Antichristian usurpers the Prelates Indeed thus thou didst deale with those 3 above said as Seditious Persons because they convinced the Prelates of their usurped title of Iurisdiction from Christ wherein they did not in the least point transgresse or yet so much as trench upon any of thy Laws but defended them against the Prelates And if in so doing any shal be accounted of thee to be Rebells certainly they which doe it not are neither good Christians nor good Subjects But if indeed thou wilt Warre against any such as Rebells let the Case first be tryed in a faire and Judiciall way a better then which cannot be then the present Parliament And because the Prelates are Parties let them be excluded out of the Court till the matter be deciâ—ed For no Reason that Parties should sit as Judges as the Prelates did in the Censuring of those former three though they excepted against them in open Court And if indeed by such a faire tryall any shal be found judicially to be Rebells against their King then make Warre against them and spare not and I could wish to be the foremost in the fight But if they onely stand to defend their ancient Rights and Liberties and those good Laws of the Land which as the Ligatures doe bind unite and fasten the Head and Body the King and his Subjects together and which both Prince and People are bound by mutuall Covenant and Sacred Oath to maintaine let the Parliament determine whether that be Rebellion or no Which till it be determined let me crave thy patience ô England in a few words and hearken to the Counsel that I shall give thee in Gods own Name and words And because the present Parliament is the Representative Body of the whole State of the Land let me first addresse my Speech to it now Assembled in both the Houses Now where Gods word saith * By wise Counsel thou shalt make thy Warre he immediately addeth And in a multitude of Councellers there is Safety And you most Noble Senate are a Multitude of Councellers whose wisdome and Councel is requisite at this time for the making of Warre or not and much more for the making of Warre against your Brethren and in the very bowells of the Land Which Warre if it be for the Prelates Hierarchy let me say as he did ‡ If Baal be a God let him plead for himselfe For otherwiseâ— the making of such a Warre cannot be for safety and therfore I hope a multitude of such Counsellers will never give their consent much lesse their Counsel for such a
discourse then this of mine will admit Againe he saith ‡ If there be a jealousie or doubt of the Sense of the Scripture we must repaire to the Exposition of the Primitive Church and submit to that or call and submit to a Generall Councel c. Now if he shall quarrell this Scripture and those words of Christ forementioned as being either jealous or doubtfull of the sense thereof and so send me to the Primitive Church or call me to a Generall Councel for the determination of this point what shall we say For in no case can he yeeld the Scripture the honour to be sole Judge of controversies in faith And for the Primitive Church which he meanes namely that which came after Christ and his Apostles that he will say had Bishops or Prelates And for a Generall Councel that by his own verdict must consist of Prelates and so then shal be Judges in their own cause Therefore herein I must tell him plainly that first for the Primitive Church which was that of the Apostles never any one of them was a Prelate or Diocesan Bishop as we shall see more anon Secondly the next ages of the Church succeeding that of the Apostles knew no such Lord Bishops or Prelates as are now adayes with their Traines and Courts And when they began to get Prelacies old Hierome reprooved them and so did others Thirdly never any Generall Councel yet concluded that Prelates were jure divino Fourthly For a Generall Councel now to be called for the determining of this controversie which must consist onely of Prelates I deny them to be competent Iudges in this Case For by the Prelates own Confession * No man ought to be both party and Iudge in his own Cause And again the ‡ Prelate is too strict and Canonicall in tying all men to the decision of a Generall Councel and to yeeld obedience unto it yea although it determine a matter erronious in the Faith Now then if a Generall Councel of Prelates should determine that Prelates are jure divino although it be erronious yet according to the Prelates Rule all must yeeld obedience and submit thereunto And then we are gone if we commit this matter to a Generall Councel But we will passe by these and come to some other of his passages for his Prelacy He saith ‡ I beleeve Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church Aristocratically by Diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy Aâ—d those Diverse he makes to be Prelates or Hierarchs or rather Archprelates Now except he verily beleeve that Prelates are the best men in the world how can he beleeve that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by them For Aristocracie is a Government of the best men Aristoi Optimi and therefore called Optimates most honourable for their vertues But are Prelates so Doth their extreme pride ambition covetousnesse voluptuousnesse idlenesse hatred and suppressing of Gods word persecution of Gods Ministers oppression of Gods people even all that professe godlinesse and extreme both injustice and cruelty without all Law or Conscience in Censuring poore innocent soules that come before them doe these their vertues make them to be the best men for Christ to thinke the fittest by whom to governe his Church unlesse in this respect Christ might thinke it fittest that seeing he thought it fittest to keep his true Church his little stoâ—ke alwayes under manifold tryalls of afflictions and persecutions as being the exercises of all that will live godly in Christ Iesus and the way through which they must goe into the Kingdome of God therefore for this very cause he might thinke it fittest to suffer Satan to set up Anticrâ—ist in the Temple of God with his Traine of Prelates who should prove the most vengable Instruments of persecuting and oppressing Gods true children of all other men in the world And this I beleeve to be true And againe I beleeve this to be true also that Christ thought it fittest to governe his true Church Aristocratically that is by the best men because he hath so expressed himselfe in his word Why Where and who be those best men Let my Lord Prelate have patience and I will shew him a cleare ground of this my faith such as he can never shew for his blind faith Those best men that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by are the severall Ministerss rightly qualified and lawfully placed over their Severall Congregations respectively And they are called both Presbyteri and Episcopi Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or as Prelates falsely style themselves Bishops But how are these o i aristoi the best men Because Christ requires such to have the qualities of the best men What be those First such a Bishop or Overseer must be blamelesse the husband of one wife not therfore one tyed from Marriage which is for Antichrists Priests vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no strikâ—r not greedy of filthy lâ—â—re but patient not a brawler not covetous c. And in Titus Not selfe-willed not soon angry a lover of good menâ— sober just holy temperate holding fast the faithfull word that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainesayers Such therefore as call themselves the onely Bishops to exercise Lordship over many Ministers and Congregations and are proud heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God cruell strikers with their High-Commission-weapons soone angry and never appeased againe not lovers but persecuters of good men not such as hold fast the wholesome word but suppresse it all they can forbidding others to convince the gainesayers as those of the Arminian party and the like and cutting off the Eares of those Ministers that should dare to reprove the Prelates notorious practises and attempts in setting up a false Idolatrous and Anchristian Religion for Christs Religion and such like such I say how can the Prelate beleeve to be of those diverse whom Christ thought it fittest to governe his Church by Againe another passage of his is this * She the Church of England beleeves That our Saviour Christ hath left in his Church besides his Law-booke the Scripture visible Magistrates and Iudges that is Arch-bishops and Bishops under a gracious King to governe both for Truth and Peace according to the Scripture and her owne Canons and Constitutions as also chose of the Catholick Church which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme So the Prelate In the next passage before the Prelate makes profession of his own Faith concerning Christs thought for Prelaticall Government and here he tells us what is the Faith of the Church of England about the same new Article of his beliefeâ—â— And not unlikely it is â— that the Prelaticall Church of England is of the saine beliefe with her learned Champion and great Metropolitan But the faith both of the Prelate and his Church
England Oh how doth he triumph in his Chaire as in his Charet Yea more specially how did he triumph over those Three his Remarkable men whom he looking out at the Court-window beheld standing on the Pillory and loosing their Eares and Blood how did he then applaud his politicke pate and potent credit in Court that he could thus anékesta without rememedy as the ‡ Story saith of the Tyrant Licinius a persecuter of the Christians overthrow the most innocent Cause and therein the most innocent Persons and without all colour of contradiction the Minister that ever was Judged in any Christian Court Thus he triumphed over them though their triumph over him and all his Antichristian lawlesse cruelty in that their most constant couragious and invincible cheerfullnes in suffering was as much more glorious and noble as his was most Ignoble and Base But thus I say the Prelate with his Prelaticall Church must be Triumphant Militant no longer but in warring against the Lambe and his poore followers So as this Prelate with his Confederates are the Successors of the High-Priests Scribes and Pharisees and of Edmund Bonner and Stephen Gardiner those bloody Butchers and Wolves which devoured and destroyed Christs Sheep in Queen Maries dayes and therein were the Church-Triumphant in England But this by the way Returne we now whence we have a little as it were digressed though not impertinent to our Purpose in hand which is to shew the true difference between the true Ministers of Christ and those of Antichrist Seventhly therefore Not as Lording it â—ver Gods Heritage but being Ensamples to the Flocke Now wherein are our Lord Prelates Ensamples to the Flocke In their humble carriage In their meeknesse of spirit In the moderation of their government In their continencie and contempt of Riches Honours Pleasures Ease and the like Nay are they not Examples to the world farre be it from Gods Flocke of extreme Pride Ambition Covetousnesse Voluptuousnesse Idlenesse Profanesse Lawlessenesse extreme Cruelty barbarous Injustice implacable Malice and intolerable Tyranny palpable Hypocrisie and such like Prelaticall vertues and graces the most proper and peculiar indowments inseperable qualities of their Hierarchie Eightly and lastly true Elders or Bishops that with a good Conscience feed Gods Flocke both with the wholsome food of sound Doctrine and with the holy Example of a good life shall when the chiefe Shepheard shall appeare receive a Crown of glory that fadeth not away Where I observe two particulars that Iesus Christ is the onely Chiefe or Arch-Shepheard O' A' rkipóimen So as here is no place either for Pope over the universall Church or Metropolitan over a whole Kingdome or for Arch-prelate over the Provinciall or yet Prelate over all the Shepheards in his Dioceseâ— for then such should be A' rkipoÃmenes the Cheif Shepheards but this Title and Office is peculiar to Christ alone and incommunicable to any other Nor did Peter himselfe arrogate to himselfe any such Title but was content with * oâ— tumpresbúteros a Fellow-Elder as if an equall to those Elders or Presbyters to whom he writ The second particular I note is that all such Presbyters or true Bishops as aforesaid may and do most certainly expect and shall most surely receive at the appearing of the Chief Shepheard an immarcescible Crown of Glory-Behold here is such a Reward as no Lord Prelate can expect or hope for For these are rightly resembled by ‡ Dives to whom being in hell torments and desiring one drop of water to coole his tongue Abraham answered Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things c. For he had gone in his purple and fine linnen and fared deliciously every day while mercilessy he suffered poore Lazarus to lye at his gate full of sores yeelding him no reliefe or comfort at all saving that his dogs came and licked his Sores Aâ—d doe not our Diveses our rich Lord Prelates and which of them is poore goe in their Purple Satten Velvet and the finest lynnen as their Lawn sleeves and Rochet and faire deliciously every day not induring once in their lives with their good wills to keep one extraordinary Fast day so zealous are they of the observation of Lent and other Embers wherin they can faire deliciously with the choycest Fish and Fruits and Wines and other Cates So as with Dives they have their good things here Only these come short of and outstrip Dives in some things For First Dives yet suffered Lazarus to be layd at his doores but these beat away the true Lazars from their doores 2. Dives suffered his dogs to shew so much compassion as to lick Lazarus his sores but our Lord Prelates doe set their dogs at the true Lazarusses to teare them in pieces 3. Lazarus brought his sores with him Dives did not cause them but our Lord Prelates doe fill Gods Lazarusses full of wounds which they carry away with them not scaping from their Gates with a whole Skin 4. Lazarus was willingly layd at Dives his gates but Gods Lazarusses never come to the Lord-Bishops Gates but with an ill will when they are hayld and pull'd 5. Dives denyed his Crummes to Lazarus because they were of his bread to feed his dogs but the Prelates doe not onely deny any one Crumme of mercy when they are offended or to doe right when the Lazarusses are injured but they doe also rob pill and poll them stripping them of all they have and so doe not relieve but make Lazars Againe on the other side Lazarus in some sort may be an Embleme of Gods true Ministers For Lazarus had all his evill things in this world So the good and faithfull Ministers of God must undergoe manifold afflictions tribulations and persecutions in the world as our Saviour * Christ forewarned his Disciples and so their true Successors to wit Godly and painfull Ministers of the Word who find their Masters words verified in themselves by manifold experince of tributations and persecutions which they mainly and chiefly suffer at the hands of Antichrist and his Antichristian Prelates as the world it selfe is able to beare witnesse In the Kingdome of England at this day who are the great persecuters yea and the onely oppressors of Gods faithfull and painfull Ministers and of all true Professors but these Lordly Prelates who will not suffer any one Minister or other to burrow within their Diocese if he doe but smell of a Puritan as they call them but do ferrit them out and hunt them to the death Where by the way it is cleare to all men that have but common sense that the Prelates which are and ever have been â—at least since Antichrist hath been aloft the most furious and fiery Persecuters of Gods good Ministers and people even for Religion sake are false Bishops falsely pretending their Iurisdiction from Christ and their Succession from the Apostles They might aswell say that they have Authority from Christ and his
First Protest against the Hierarchy as an Antichristian Tyranny over the Soules Bodies and Estates of all the Kings Subjects and therefore ought to be rooted out and not suffered in any Christian Church or Common Weale Secondly and consequently Protest against all Altars Images and such like Popish Idolatrous Reliques utterly unlawfull to be erected in any true Christian Church Thirdly Protest against all humane Rites and Ceremonies whatsoever imposed upon mens Consciences in the worship of God as being all of them Antichristian bringing into bondage mens Soules which Christ hath redeemed with his precious blood who is the onely Lord of the Conscience and the onely Law-giver to his Church for all matters of Faith and of the worship of God Fourthly Protest against all such generall Taxes layd upon the Subjects as whereby both their ancient Liberties and the fundamentall Laws of the Kingdome are overthrowne and so vindicate the Honour both of the King and of this noble Kingdome that it may not be recorded to Posterity for a State of Tyranny and Slavery Fiftly and consequently Protest against all those wicked Iudges which have in such wise declared their opinions for intollerable Taxes expresly contrary to the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdome as thereby they have given occasion for the betraying of all and the bringing of the whole Land under perpetuall Slavery Sixtly Protest against that Prelaticall Declaration set forth in the Kings Name before the 39 Articles wherein those Articles of the Dostrines of Grace are made voyd and so all preaching of them suppressed Seventhly Protest against that Booke for Sports on the Lords dayes as whereby both the fourth Commandement and the fifth are most desperately overthrown as also against all those Bookes that have been set forth for the maintaining of such profanation as whereby God is greatly dishonoured and his wrath provoked even to the Spewing out of such a Nation out of his mouth Eightly Protest against all that Prelaticall Tyranny in oppressing the preaching of Gods Word on the Lords dayes in the after-noone and other dayes in the week and their Antichristian persecuting and putting out of all godly and painfull Ministers such as will not conform to their lawlesse Ordinances Ninthly Protest against that most terrible and odious shedding of the innocont blood of those 3 forementioned now perpetuall Exiles and Closse Prisoners even their very Wives most lawlesly detained from them with aâ—â— their other severe punishments one of them being a Minister who in discharge of his duty first preached in his own Church and then published his Sermons in Print against the Prelates notorious practises and Popish Innovations for which he underwent punishments so great so many as no Ageâ— no Christian State can parallell so as their blood doth incessantly cry against this whole Land as guilty thereof though shed onely by the Prelates instigation as aforesaid untill it be purged Tenthly Protest against that accursed Booke Relation of a Conference c. published in Print and Dedicated to the King by the now Prelate of Canterbury wherein he belyes and so blasphemes God Christ the Holy Ghost the holy Scriptures the Church of England in saying it is one and the Same with that of Rome of the same Faith and Religion with that Whore of Babylon and many such like impious assertions the whole Booke professedly tending to reconcile England and Rome and so to bring the whole Land backe againe to Popery Eleventhly If this great and Warlike preparation be by the Prelates Diabolicall Instigation as by no other it can be except by the Pope and his Iesuiter and his Nuncio's Negotiation have also a hand in it to goe against the Scots and if the cause shal be found to be no other but that they have abandoned and Remaunded to Rome all their Prelates as the grand Enemies of Christ and his Kingdome and of the peaceable and prosperous estate of the Realme and consequently of the Kings Crown and Dignity and that they stand for the maintenance of their just Laws and Liberties the continuance whereof is the Kings honour and the establishment of his throne If I say no other cause can justly be alledged and yet they shal be invaded as Rebells Protest against all ayd and assistance of such an Invasion as being against the Law of God of Nature and of Nations and as being a Warre directly against Jesus Christ in the maintenance of Antichrist and his Antichristian Hierarchy and so such as must needs recoyle and that in divine fury upon England it selfe which having burned her neighbours house exposeth her owne to the flames Yea for England to Invade Scotland for no other cause in truth then before mentioned namely for their maintaining of the true Faith and Religion of Christ and their just Lawes and Liberties which all true Christians and Civil States ought to lay down their very lives for as the light of Nature taught the very Heathen Pugnare pro Aris ac focis and that Grecian could say A'iresomai teleutan mallon è a'neleutheros sun I choose rather to dye a Free-man then to live a Slave And the Monarchicall estate governed by good Laws was ever preferred and opposed to Tyranny were to renounce and give up her own ancient Liberties and to betray and persecute and destroy the true Faith and Religion of Christ and so set up and professe the Infidelity and Idolatry of Antichrist and so with him and his cursed Crue to goe into perdition The Primitive Christians under Julian the Apostata served him in the Warres against his Enemies but when he Commanded them to goe against Christians who refused to worship or offer Incense to his Idols they cast down their Weapons acknowledging the Emperour of heaven And when Saul * commanded his Servants to fall upon the Lords Priests none of them would doe it And I read of a Secretary to an Empresse who being commanded by her to draw an Edict againg the Christians he still found delayes but at length she growing instant upon him for it so as he could no longer delay it he tooke off his Military girdle the Ensigne of his service and cast it at her feet and so discharged himselfe from her Court Thus if you make and leave these Christian zealous and just Protestations among the Recods of Parliament in case it shal be by the malice and inchantments of the Prelates unhappily dissolved before you can produce them into a full Act and establish them for a Law though otherwise ye cannot effect a reall Reformation of all the mischiefes and maladies which the Prelates in speciall have filled the Land withall yet forasmuch as you have thus publickly both for your own persons and as the Body representative of the whole State of the Land solemnly protested against all these things there is no question to be made but that God in his mercy and favour will accept of your will for the deed it selfe and will still preserve both you and your
posterity and the whole Land from destruction and will find out some other way for the rooting out of the Hierarchy according to those Prophesies in the Revelation the full filling of which cannot be farre off Now the Lord Iesus Christ guide and govern the Kings heart to the love of God and of his truth and let him clearely see how miseraby he hath been abused by those notorious hypocrites his flattering and Sycophantising Prelates and so take off and divide his Noble heart from them that being reconciled to God in reforming the manifold and horrible abuses which the Prelates to the dishonour of God and of the King have been the Authors and Instruments of and being united to his loving and loyall People as the Head to the Body in this Body representative the Parliament he may long raigne over this Land and all his other Kingdomes in much peace and prosperity And the same Lord Iesus Christ so unite the hearts of this Parliament unto God and to the King and among themselves and so guide them by the wisdome of his Spirit and Grace that they may sit and consult and conclude such righteous Acts and Decrees as may be for the honour of God and of the King for the advancement of Christs Kingdome and the establishment of the Kings Throne upon the Pillars of good Government with justice and mercyâ— in punishing the wicked and relieving the afflicted and oppressed Innocents as David in that Psalme penned for his Sonne Salomon a type of Christ prayed saying * Give the King thy judgemens ô God and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings Son He shall judge thy people with righteousnesse and thy poore with judgement He shall judge the poore of the people he shall have the children of the needy and shall breake in pieces the oppressors Even as the Heathen also said of the duty of Kings which was Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos To spare his Subjects and the proud beat down And as they said of Iulius Caesar Caesar dando sublâ—vando ignoscendâ— gloriam adeptus est Caesar by giving relieving and pardoning got himselfe a glorious Name And lastly the same Lord Iesus Christ power his Spirit of Grace and Supplication upon all the people of the Land that being sensible both of their own Sins and of the Nationall Sins of the Land as also of the heavy yoake of Anticrhist and the burthens of Egypt wherewith those Taskemasters the Prelates have pressed them down and broken their backs and made their lives bitter unto them they may truly repent and reforme their lives and cry alowd to the Lord as his People in Egypt did against their Taskmasters and pray incessantly for the good successe of this Parliament that it may be as a Moses sent of God in the ‡ doubling of their Bricks to deliver them from the Spirituall Egyptian bondage of the Prelates and dayly to pray for the King their Soveraigne and for his happy and truly Religious Raigne over them that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Amen Even so come Lord Iesus and helpe thy poore England and thy poore People therein Amen FINIS * 2 Thes. 2. 4. Histor. Concilii Trident. ‡ Conference pag. 176 177. Confe pag. 200. Confer. pag. * Confer pag. 183. * Mark 9. 32. Luke 9. 45. * Mark 9. 33 34. * Luk. 19. 16 17 18 19. Math. 25. 16 17 18 c. ‡ Psal. 16. 11. ‡ Luk. 6. 24 25 26. * Luk. 46 7. § Phil. 3. 18 19. †lam 3. 15. * Confer. pag. 176. * 2 Cor. 11. 13. ‡ 2 Thess. 2. 3. * Rev. 13. 14. ‡ ver. 12. * 1 Pet. 5. ‡ 2 Cor. 1. 24. ‡ Dan. 6. 7. § Dan. 3. * Euergétal Horat. ‡ Mat. 23. 8. 9 10. ‡ Bernard De Consider. ad Eugen. 4. lib. 4. c. 2. Phil. 2. 6 7 8 9 10 1. * ver. 5. * Sect. 16. ‡ Confer. pag. â—57 * pag. 157. ‡ pag. 220. 226. ‡ pag. 200. â— Tim. 3â— 2. Tit. 1 7. * pag. 210 21. * lbid. ‡ Gal. 4. 29. * Confe Epist. Dedicatory pag. 376. * Ioh. 19. â— * pag 15. * Heb. 12. 15. ‡ Mat. 15. 13. ‡ Rom. â—â—◠§ 2 Thess. 2. †1 Iohn 2. * Ovid Meta. ‡ Dan. 2. * Mâ—t. 15. 9. * 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5. * Confer pag. 175 176. ‡ pag. 183. ‡ Heb. 5. 4 5. § Confer. pag. 177. †pag. 198 199. * ler. 23. 30 31 32. ‡ 1 Pet. 5. ‡ Hist. Concil. Tâ—id * Confer. pag. 370. ‡ Revel. 17. 15. Vid Espencaeum in Tim. Gen. 10. 8 9. * Hist. Concil. Trid. * Eph. 4. 11. * 1 Tim. 3. 1. ‡ 1. Pet. 5. 2. ‡ Vides omnem Ecclesiasticum zelum fervere sola pro dignitate tuenda Ber. 1 Tim. 3. ◠‡ Confer. pag. 176. ‡ 1 Pet. 1 2 3 4. * Chap. 2. ‡ Confer pag. 298. * Confer. pag. 204. ‡ Socrat. Hist. Eccle. lib. 1. c 2. * â— Pet. 5. 1. ‡ â— Luk. 16. * Luk 21. 12. Mat. 24. 9. * Iob. 16. 2. ‡ Heb. 10. 27. ‡ 2 Tim. 4. 8. * 1 Cor. 9. 1. ‡ Iohn 16. 13. ‡ Act. 8. 26. 16. 6. § Mat. 28. 19. 20. †Act. 13. 2◠‡ Phil. 2. 25. * Revel. 1. 20. ‡ An. 26. 1â— Col. 1. 23. * Mat. 28. 20. Objection Answer ‡ Gal 3. 2. Act. 10. 44. § Gal. 4. 19â— * Aristot. Dâ— Ortu in teritu lib. 2. * Rom. 8. 14◠‡ Ioh. 15. 7. § Iob. 16. 13. †Ioh 14. 26. * Isa. 8. 20. * Cap. 3. ‡ See the Prelates Relation Sect. 16. throughout § Esa. 8. 20. ‡ Ioh. 6. 53. ‡ 1 Cor. 11. 23 * Relation of the Conf. p. 136. ‡ As in Dr. Coosins Booke of Private Devotions or Canonicall Houres * Esa. 56. 10 11 12. ‡ Act. 8. * Verse 16 17. ‡ verse 8. ‡ v. 18. § v. 19. †v. 20. ‡ v. 14. * v. 22. * v. 8. ‡ v. 18. § v. 10. †v. 21. ‡ v. 2â— * Con. pag. 261. ‡ Confer pag 226. 227. § Epist. Dediâ— pag. 19. 20. * 1 Cor. 2. 9. 10. ‡ Rev. 13. 8. 2 Thes. 2. 10. § Mat. 24. 5. * Mathâ— * Hist. Concil. Trid. lib. 1. ‡ In Platina of the lives of the Popes § Mat. 19. 24. * Psal. 82. * See the Apologie His Epistle to the Iudges His Sermons ‡ Gen. 3. 15. * Tit. 1. 9. * pag. 378. ‡ pag. 31. * pag. 80. 194. ‡ Lighius Hosius de expresso Dei Verbo ‡ 1 Cor. 3. 10. 17. 6. 19. 2 Cor. 6. 16. * Mat. 24. 5. Mark 13. 6. Luk. 21. 8. * Tit. 2. 16. ‡ Psal. 45. * 2 Tim. 4. 5. ‡ Hist. Concil. * Epist. Dedi pag. 20. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 14. Gal. 1. * Gen. 11. ‡ Ephes. â— 15 16. Socrat. Hist. Eccl. lib. 1. c. 35. Confer pa. 176. * Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. 2. c. 15 ‡ Ibid c. 14. ‡ Ibid c. 14. * Psal. 81. 1â— 12. ‡ Psal. 5. 10. ‡ Psal. 2. 1 2 3 4. * â— Psal. 33. 10 11. ‡ v. 16 17. ‡ Pro. 20. 5. * Mat. 20. 25. Mark 10. 42. Luk. 22. 25. ‡ 2 Thess. 2. 4. 7. 3 loh 9 10. * Mat. 12. 25. ‡ 1 King 22. * Pro. 24. 6. ‡ Iudg. 6. 31. ‡ Iudg. 6. 31. * 2 Thess. 2â— * 1 Sam. 22. * Psal. 72. ‡ Cum duplicantur Lateres tunc venit Moses 〈◊〉 2â— 2.
Arch-Prelate or Primate then he confesseth that Archiprelaticall Iurisdiction is grounded upon Canon and Positive Law and so consequently not upon the Holy Scriptures as being jure divino And thus much he confessed in open Court at the High Commission at Doctor BASTVVICKS Censure that no one of the Apostles had Iurisdiction one over another and so consequently not an Arch-Prelate over other Prelates jure divino but onely jure Canonico Positivo by Canon and Positive Law Arch-Prelates therfore have no Iurisdiction by divine Institution Or if he meane it of subjection of Ministers in every Diocese to their Prelates respectively that this also is grounded upon Canon and Positive Law though so he should say truly yet in so saying he should contradict himselfe as where he saith elsewhere That Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church universall Aristocratically by diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy As much to say rather by many Popes then by one And this saith he I beleeve to be true So as he makes it an Article of his Faith That Prelates are jure divino Yet but a little before in the same page it is not certaine that the whole Militant Church is a Kingdome for there are no meane ones saith he which thinke our Saviour Christ left the Church Militant in the hands of the Apostles and their Successors in an Aristocraticall or rather mixt government c. So as what others and those no meane ones Thinke the Prelate beleeves And the Government which some thinke and he beleeves to be Aristocraticall he understands to be Prelaticall which saith he is Aristocraticall or rather a mixt Government What meanes he by a mixt Government Namely partly Aristocraticall and partly Monarchicall for of those two he there speaketh His meaning then is that a Prelate is in part in Monarch But where doe we find that Christ thought it fittest to Governe his Church by Prelats that the Prelate is so confident to beleeve it It seems he is one of Christs Cabinet Counsellors that he is so intimately privie to his thoughts For surely Christ hath no where left the impression of any such thought of his in his written word But I suppose the Prelate doth but presume so or charitably beleeve Christ thought so Me thinks he should not so beleeve it as to write upon it I beleeve this is true But thus I say this faith of his overthrows the credit of his former Saying That Prelates with their effectuall Subjection are grounded upon Canon or Positive Law and so have no Authority from Christ as the Prelate a little before affirmeth of what force is his Canon For there speaking of the Pope he saith Nay out of all doubt 't is not the least reason why de facto he hath so little successe because de jure he hath no power given But how then is it that some few * pages before he saith that some one must be Ordine Primus to avoyd confusionâ— and he speakes there of the Româ—e Prelate It is then of necessity that there must be one Ordine Primus to avoyd confusion in the Catholick Church Militant which elswhere he makes to be visible and Hierarchicall or Prelaticall then did not Christ leave so much exprest in writing but to Canon and Positive Law But perhaps Christ thought it best and the Prelate so beleeves Thus we see here is nothing but Riddâ—es Ambiguities and Contradictions or Enterfeerings with our Prelate What course then shall we take for a cleare resolution of the Question That Prelates as themselves affirme are jure divino Certainly if they be jure divino they must shew good proofe for it in the written word of God And to this Rule we must hold them and to this onely For it were to tread an endlesse maze to goe about to prove a Divine Title or Authority out of the Volumes of humane writings or Ecclesiasâ—icall Histories They can tell us de facto what hath been but that Prelates are de jure divine that we must search for in the Sacred Records of Divine writ If there we find it well and good but if there it be not but the contrary then all humane writings are in this point to be rejected as of no credit or value Come we therfore to the Scripture which will clearely tell us what Christ thought of this matter CHAP. II. Wherein is proved That CHRIST expresly condemneth all Prelacie or Hierarchie as flatly forbidding it to his Apostles and Disciples MATH 20. 29 c. Then came to him the Mother of Zebedees children with her Sons worshiping him and desiring a certaine thing of him And he said unto her what wilt thou She saith unto him Gâ—ant that these my two Sonnes may sit the one on thy right hand and the other on thy lest in thy Kingdome But Jesus answered and said Ye know not â—hat ye aske Are ye able to drinke of the Cup that I shall drinke of and to be baptised with the Baptisme that I am baptised with They say unto him we are able And he saith unto them ye shall drinke indeed of my Cup and be baptised with the Baptisme that I am baptised with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it shal be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father And when the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the two brethren But Jesus called them unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the â—entiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Servant Even as the Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many In these words as we see the mind of these as yet carnall Disciples So on the other side we see the mind of Christ and what he thought of Prelacy For Prelacy is that which they make such a solemne suit for They ambitiously affect Cathedram a Prelates Chaire or Throne they make suit to sit and that in the most prime Seat on the right and left hand of Christ And these two suiters were Christs Kinsmen Iames and Iohn A faire motive for promotion to a Prelacy For as the Saying is Dicâ—re vis Praestâ— De sanguine Praesulis esto Wouldst thou have Church Dignitee the Prelats Kinsman thou must be Or according to those old Verses Quatuor Ecclesias his Portis itur ad omnes Sanguinis Simonis Praesulis atque Dei Prima patet Claris nummatis altera Charis Tertia sed raris janua quarta patet Through these foure Gates all Churches wayes are trod Of Birth of Simon Prelate and of God The first for Nobles next for golden worth For Prelates Kin the third for few the fourth These two brethren would enter into the chiefe Cathedralls by the gate of Nobility as
humane Law and in their own Names as absolute and independent Lords as those Heathen Princes did Thus have they not with the Beast their Syre in the * Revelation made a perfect Image of the first Beast to wit of the Heathen Empire from top to toe whose whole forme and State of Dominion they set up in their Prelaticall Hierarchie Doth not the ‡ Beast which cometh out of the earth having two hornes like a Lamb but speakes as a Dragon which is the Papall Hierarchie exercise all the power of the first Beast before him namely of the Roman Emperour there described yea and cause the Earth with all that dwell therein to worshâ—p the first Beast that is to subject themselves to the Throne and Authority of the Hierarchie which is now invested with an absolute Imperiall independent power which yet they blush not to affirme to be jure divino and from Christ himselfe How can any thing be more diametrically contrary to Christs words here It shall not be so among you Yes saith this Shamelesse Beast it shal be so with us and this Imperiall jurisdiction we doe and will exercise over the People As they doe indeed Yea these Spirituall Lords do not only exercise all the power of the first Beast as of Heathen Princes over the bodies and goods of men by imprisoning fyning undoing of Men and their whole Families yea and faggotting also the deare Saints and Servants of God onely by a pretty conveyance making the Civil Magistrate to be their executioner as the High Priests having condemned Christ delivered him over to the Secular Power to Pilate the Roman Governour but they also usurpe and exercise a most transcendent and Tyrannicall Dominion over the Soules and Consciences of Gods people as whose Canons and Constitutions even their whole Canon Law written in blood signified by their red Inke like to Draco his Laws which for their cruelty were sayd to be written in bloodâ— are most cruelly pressed upon the peoples soules for a full conformitie to all those humane Rites and Ceremonies of their will-worship in their Divine Service as they call it A bondage infinitely more bloody and cruel then that of Gods people of old under the Egiptian Taskmasters And yet not withstanding all these things is this their Lordly and Princely Jurisdiction jure Divino from Christ Or are Prelates herein the Apostles Successors Were the Apostles ever such Princes Lived they in such Palaces Kept they such Courts Did they imprison persecute and undoe Gods Saints Did they make any Canons or Laws for will worship Did they presse so much as any one ragge of a Ceremony of their own devising upon the Conscience of any of Gods people Nay did they not expresly forbid and condemn it Not as Lords over Gods Heritage saith * Peter to the Presbyters Not as having dominion over your Faith saith ‡ Paul to Gods Ministers and People Yea this was also one branch of that Dominion which the Heathen Emperours exercised over the people namely to force their Conscienses in matters of Religion ‡ Darius made a Decree that none should make any request to God or Man for 30. dayes save to the King alone § Nebuchadnezzar proclaimes his Commandment that all should fall downe and worship his golden Image And Iulian the Apostata would force the Christians to offer sacrifice to his Idols or at least to cast but a little incense upon the fire before them And such as refused were sorely persecuted punished yea put to death And doe not the Prelates exercise the like Dominion over mens Soules I say even to the utter undoing and exterminating of all those that refuse to submit their necks to such an Antichristian yoake Nay doe they not fast Chaine to their Tyranny all Ministers that take their Oath of Canonicall obedience even as Temporall Princes take an Oath of Allegiance of their Subjectsâ— Only here is the difference the Subjects are by their Oath bound to the Prince to obey him according to Gods Law and the Laws of the Land but Prelates by imposing the Oath of Canonicall obedience doe exact of all Ministers absolute and unlimited obedience to all their Canons not onely those in being although they be both contrary to Christs Law and are not authorised by the Law of the Land but to whatsoever other Canons they should in time frame and compose Which was one great Coale that hath caused the Smoaking out of all the Prelates out of our neighbour Countrey Thus we see that the Prelates exercising the like yea even the same Authority and Dominion which the Heathen Princes used in all points over their People are here flatly and expresly forbidden by Christ himselfe So as their Prâ—lacie is so farre from being sure divino of divine Authority as that it is an open rebellion against Christ and his Kingdome and a very trampling of his words under their feet But it shall not be so among you Againe for the words in Luke The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so Ye shall not be called e'uergétai Benefactors or Gracious Lords as some Translations render it In which word or Title Christ forbids all such Titles to be assumed by his Apostles as are Heathenish or such as did set forth the magnificence pompe and State of Heathen Princes or such Titles as the Scripture doth not give to Gods Ministers Now it was not unusuall with the Heathen to call their Kings who were the greatest tyrants and oppressors of the People * Benefactors or the like in flattery of them Thus they did incrustare vitia parget or roughcast their vices as the Poet speakes And it seems the Popes learned of the Heathen this fashion of changing of their Names as if he were deformed to call him Formosus if cruel Clemens c. But for Prelates are they not called Euergetae Benefactors your Grace your Honour Right reverend most Reverend Father in God My Lord My Reverend Discesan My Patron and Benefactor Our Metropolitan Primate My Ordinary and many such like devised Titles no where to be found in Scripture but serving to bolster out their Pontificiall pride All such Titles Christ forbids to his Disciples here as elswhere also ‡ Be ye not called Rabbi for one is your Master even Christ and all ye are brethren And call no man Father upon Earth such Fathers as Prelates are called for one is your Father which is in heaven Neither be ye called Masters for one it your Master even Christ But the Prelates will say Distingue tempora Distinguish the times the Apostles were poore the Church was then but in the Infancie Swadling clouts might serve the Turne but now we that are the Successors of the Apostles are men grown and know how to use the honours pleasures and preferments of the world being cast upon us and being now promoted to be
Princes those titles riches and honours that we have are but sutable to our dignity and serviceable to our Principality Then was then and now is now These things some great Pontificians and Popes themselves have alledged ‡ But Bernard who was one of their owne writing to Pope Eugenius and telling him plainly and freely of all his Pontificiall Pomp and how unlike therein he was to Christ and his Apostles saith Scilicet sic factitabat Petrus sic paulus ludebat Did Peter I pray you doe thus Did Paul play such play Si anderem dicere Daemonum magis quam ovium pascua haec If I durst speake it these are the pastrues of Devils rather then of the Sheep Honori totum datum datur Sanctitati nihil aut parum All is given to honour but little or nothing to holinesse But he puts their allegation as I sayd before Absit inquiunt tempori non convenit What should holinesse doe say they It is not sutable for our times Thus Bernard But we need goe no further then to the Painter whom the Pope set a worke in his Gallery to draw the pictures of Peter and Paul who having painted their faces blushing redde and the Pope coming in to see his worke and asking him If Peter and Paul had such redde faces because he had so painted them No quoth he but if they were here now and did behold what a glorious rich and magnificent Successor they have they would blush as redde as now you see their pictures doe And his Holinesse was very well pleased with the Painters Conceit to see himselfe a braver man then ever poore Peter and Paul were whose Successor notwithstanding he boasts himselfe to be For what els but a Sweet Fable doth the Pope make of the Gospel as himselfe said And surely we cannot thinke that Prelates who are the limbs of this great Beast are of any other Spirit then Atheisticall such as the Head himselfe is of and which he hath derived to his Members Well hitherto we have heard Christs Sentence concerning Prelacy in the Church and that negatively denyed to his Apostles as a thing heathenish and carnall and so which turnes Christs Spirituall Kingdome into a meere carnall and temporall yea profane and heathenish Kingdome But it shall not be so among you Ergo Prelates as before is noted are none of Christs Disciples and their Prelacie or Hierarchy none of his Institution or Ordinance but flatly forbidden and condemned by hm Now a word of the affirmative part of his Answere wherein the shews what manner of men his true Disciples must be Verse 27. c. But whosoever wil be great among you let him be your Minister and whosever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Servant The Summe is Christs Apostles and Disciples must be humble men and Servants to their brethren not Lords over them For these two are opposed one to the other Prelacy is for proud men humility for Christs Disciples Christs Disciples then and Prelates cannot stand together And pride is not the way to come to sit the next to Christs right hand but humility He that is most humble shal be exalted to the greatest honour As Christ saith here whosoever wil be chiefe among you let him be your Minister or Servant That 's the way to be the chiefe Lastly in the next words Christ sets himselfe for an example Even as saith he the Son of man came not be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many And the Servant is not above his Lord And as Christ humbled himselfe below all men So for that cause God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name above every Name that in the Name of Iesus every knee should bow c. that is as Christ made himselfe the Servant of all So God hath made him now the Lord of all this is that Name above every Name So as In this Name to bow is not an hypocriticall and Superstitious bowing of the knee of the body when ever the bare Name Iesus is named when the Name Christ is nothing regarded but it is an acknowledgement that Iesus Christ is the Lord and Iudge of all to the glory of God the Father as there the Apostle speakes So as he there saith * Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Iesus Thus true humility is the way to honour in Christs Kingdome he that fits lowest at Christs footstoole here shall sit highest at his right hand in heaven So as this is not such an humility as was in the Monke that alwayes went hanging down his head untill at length he came to be Prior and then being asked why now he held up his head he answered I have now found the Keys of the Covent Nor as of another that being a Frier would cover his Table with a piece of an old Fisher-net in token of his humility but coming to be Abbat he cast away his Net and being asked why he said I have now taken the Fish Neither are Christs words so to be taken as the Pope stiles himselfe Servus Servorum Dei Servant of the Servants of God under which Title he hath made himselfe Dominus Dominantium Lord of Lords Nor because Pope Gregory was the first that styled himselfe Servus Servorum Dei and his next Successor but one Boniface 3. got the Title of Vniversalis Episcopus universall Bishop therfore Christ requires such an humility as aymes at temporall promotion But he is truly humble that denyes himselfe and tramples on the worlds preferments preferring Christs rebukes before the treasures of Egypt and to suffer afflictions with the people of God rather then to injoy the pleasures of sinne for a season This is that humility which brings us to that Recompence of Reward to sit at Christs right hand And thus much of Christs words wherein he declares his mind touching Prelacy so as he never thought it fittest to governe his Church by Prelates as the said Archprelate is not ashamed to bely him and so to blaspheme him Therfore the Hierarchy is no Institution of Christ and so not jure devino of divine Authority CHAP. III. Wherein sundry passages of the Prelate in his said Booke for the mainteynance of his Hierarchy and so for the disabling of the Authority and Evidence of the Holy Scripture are met withall FOr concerning the Scripture he hath writ a large Treatise or * Section of his Relation of almost 15 Sheets of paper wherein he extremely abuses the clearenesse and Sufficiencie of Scripture as wanting light enough of it selfe to show it to be the word of God untill the Authority and Tradition of the present Church doe light it And for proofe hereof he saith that God in his Providence hath kindled in it no light for that Thus belying and blaspeming Gods Providence It shal be sufficient to name and note this onely for the present the confutation thereof requiring a larger
in this point is notoriously erronious as both is proved before and which the Prelates own words here will sufficiently convince of fashood For first Christ left none when he went into heaven but his Apostles and Disciples such as he inspired with his Spirit to instruct and governe his Church But the Prelate a * little after confesseth that one of these visible Iudges Arch-bishops and Bishops are infallible Therfore Christ left no such Iudges and when he went into heaven there were no Prelats extant nor yet hatched and therfore Christ cannot be so much as thought much lesse beleeved to have left any such visible Iudges as the Prelate mentioneth Secondly it cannot be safe to beleeve that Christ left any such to be visible Iudges in matters of faith and Religion who are in their judgement not onely erronious but in their affections malicious against Christ and his word and his trile Church For the universall and constant practise of Prelates and especially ever since Antichrist hath been exalted in his Throne in persecuting the Professors of the Gospell doth proclaime them to be of the malignant Church and of ‡ the bendwoman that where of Babylon whose â—eed doth persecute the true Church and Children of God and therefore Christ would never appoint such to be visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion in his Church Thirdly the Prelate in making such visible Iudges besides Christs Law-booke the Scripture as he saith doth hereby deny and exclude the Scripture from being the Sole Iudge in all matters of Faith and Religion And the Church of England formerly before this her Metropolitan started up was of this beliefe that the Scripture was the Sole Iudge and Rule of Faith and admitted of no other Iudges to sit on the same Bench with it This the many learned works of our English Divines yet extant can abundantly testifie Therfore except the Church of England hath lost her wits and hath no more grace left her then the grace and faith of Canterbury she cannot be so madde as to beleeve Christ left any such visible Iudges as her Prelate speakes of Fourthly it can never be beleeved of any sensible man much lesse of any even common Christian that Christ would leave notorious hypocrites to be Iudges in matters of Religion who under a faire pretence of Truth and Peace doe labour utterly to destroy both Truth and Peace in his Church As here the Prelate names Truth and Peace as the end of his Hierarchicall Government but his practises doe prove him to be the greatest enemy both of Truth and Peace that ever Sate in the Chaire of Canterbury For first for Truth as the Truth of the Doctrines of Grace layd down in the Articles of Religion of the Church of England hath he not in the Declaracion before those 39 Articles but set forth in the Kings Name for all must be under a gracious King baffled it making the Articles to speake nonsense or in the language of the Delphick Oracle ambiguous that may be taken either way as favouring the Arminian aswell as the Orthodox so as by this meanes his Arminian Crew may prove their Heresies out of those Articles aswell as the Orthodox can the Truth Is this visible Iudge then for Truth Againe how doth he suppresse all preaching of the Doctrines of Grace by terrifying Ministers in all the Visitations of these visible Iudges So cleare it is that he governes for Truth Secondly for Peace What Peace I pray you hath either the Church or State of England had since this Polypragmatick began to stirre and stickle both in Church and State Nay what Peace hath the neighbour-Neighbour-Kingdome had since his Arme hath been imped out to put his hot coale under the Eves of that Church also So as now when Scotland burneth is 't not time for England to looke out and to cast on water and to quench the fire not with more fire to consume all but by quenching the coale that both first kindled and still fomenteth the flame Thus we see what a Governour here is under a Gratious King For Truth and Peace But fiftly he addeth According to the Scripture This is something And yet as good as nothing for he immediately annexeth And her own Canons and Constitutions Canons enough to batter the Scripture and Constitutions to undermine and blow it up For what Scripture can stand in any force where his Canons come And much more where these Canons of his Church of England are seconded by his Catholike Church Wherein his Church of England and that of Rome are become according to his * own words one and the Same Church of one and the Same Faith and Religion And thus indeed the Church of England may enter Common with Rome in her Canons as namely in her Canon Law and so make Corpus Cononicum the Rule whereby to governe this new Corporation of the Two Churches now become one againe So as let but the Canons of the Church of England be seconded with those of her Prelates Catholicke Church and then all Scripture is gone in Common Law So vaine is it that with Scripture he names and yoakes his Canons of England and Rome by which his Figures of value he conjures the Scripture within the circle of a meere Cypher But Sixtly he concludes with this qualification which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme But first for the Scripture who shal be Judge whether the Canons doe crosse it Who but the Canon-makers and Canon-masters the Prelates And will they trow you turne the mouth of their own Canons against themselves Nay their Canons though never so crosse to Scripture yet are like to Darius his Decree which though against the Scripture yet rather then it shal be broken Daniel must to the Lions denne to try whether the Lions or the Kings Decree be more cruell So the Prelates Church Catholick Canons are like the Laws of the Medes and Persians all the Daniels in the world shall rather to the Lions denne then the Canons be reversed To give but one instance for many That Canon De Haeretibus comburendis Of Burning the Hereticks which is one of those speciall Canons of his Catholick Church and a most damnable Canon as any in all the packe and such as if Christ and his Apostles were now upon the earth and did Preach as once they did they should by vertue of that Canon be brought to the Stake as Christ was by the High Priests * Law to his Crosse that Canon I say though it crosse the Scripture as being against all true Chistians whom this Canon calls Hereticks and burnes for the Scripture-sake yet shall it not be for ever in force so long as there is one Hereticke remaining upon the face of the earth and one Pope or Prelate to discharge the Canon But the Prelate addes And the just Laws of the Realme If the said Canons crosse not the just Laws of the Realme This is as
whereof is to be ascribed to the Hierarchy of Prelates over their inferiour Clergy Thirdly where he saith Though S. Jerome being no Prelate himselfe he was no greâ—t friend to Bishops Hence I note onely the conceit of the Prelate that he thinks none can speake against Prelates but such as are none themselves as if it were onely a matter of envie But as the Poet said Dic mibi si fiâ—l tis Lâ—â— qualis erisâ— Tell me if thou thy selfe wert a Lion what manner of man wouldst thou be So the Prelate imagines that if any of those that speake against the Authority of Prelates were themselves Lions that is Lord Prelates they would be of another mind they would then say We Prelates have Authority over all Inferiour Priests Jure Divino we are the Sole visible living Iudges to determine and resolve all doubts in matters of Faith and Religion we are the Sole Masters of Ceremonies to bind all men to Canonicall obedience to all our Canons and Constitutions we enjoy honours pleasures riches ease delights of the world favours in Court and what not Thus the Prelate thinks all men would be of his mind were they in his Place And I thinke so too thus farre that they who take upon them the Prelacy they no sooner sit in that Chaire but it proves a Chaire of Pestilence unto them infecting and corrupting mans very reason and judgement so farre as to make him beleeve all is gold that glistereth Onely few come to that Chaire but such as are selfe-infected with their own imbred Plagues as pride Ambition Covetousnesse and that in a high Degree So as King Iames being once asked why he had made so many Bishops in Scotland and not one honest man amongst them all he replyed saying By his Saule there was never an Honest Man wad tack a Bishopricke And Histories tell us of many holy men that utterly refused Bishopricks And there is never a true Reformed Protestant Minister but hates a Bishoprick as he doth the Throne of the Beast But Fourthly saith the Prelate This to wit Anthority of Bishops was so settled in the minds of men from the very Infancy of the Christian Church as that it had not been to that time in the 4th Age or Century contradicted by any No doubt but such a brave and bonny thing as a Prelacy would find Grace enough in the world and quickly sink down and settle in mens minds and affections But what 's this to the purpose as to prove it a Calling from Godâ— But this was saith he from the very Infancy of the Christian Church Surely the Prelacy in the very Infancy of the Christian Church either had no being at all iâ—rerum natura or was but a misshapen Embrio or infant in the Mothers belly as Esâ—â— was at the same time in his Mothers belly with Isaac yea and would have claimed the blessing of the birth-right too from Isaac because of his antiquity And did not this young Babe wrastle with 〈◊〉 in the wombe when the Apostle saith The Mystery of iniquity doth already works and this young Prelate wanted but time and opportunity to grow up to be a Nimrod even the great Antichrist as we shall see further anon So as to plead Antiquity of the Prelacy even from the very Infancy of the Christian Church is yet no good Argument to confirme their Authority to be jure divino For even Satans Kingdome had existence in the world before Christ was Promised And the Kingdome of heaven to wit of 〈◊〉 here is described to be such as no sooner was the wheat of the Gospell sowne but that wicked one had his Supersemination of Tares of manifold â—rrors such as sprung up even in the Apostles times the very Infancy of the Church But had not been till that time which the Prelate speakes of contradicted by any That I must now contradict For first as before is shewed Christ forbad it upon the first motion of it Secondly the Apostles of which we shall speake by and by mightily contradicted it and cryed it down as being that monstrous mystery of Iniquity And thirdly it was contradicted by sundry as by 〈◊〉 But you will presently say that Epiphanius ranks him even for that very opinion only that he held Prelates not to be de jure divino or that the Degree of a Bishop was no greater then that of a Priest in the Catalogue of Hereticks And so am I also content upon the same termes to be by the Prelates counted for an Hereticke But Secondly himselfe confesseth S. Ierome to have contradicted their Authority as we noted before saying that their Institution was meerly of humane Presumption Yea and thirdly Augustine that Famous light was of the same mind with Ierome So as some of the Learned in the * Councel of Trent alledged both of them in this point So that contradicted it was and had been and that by many and some of them as Christ and his Apostles of Divine and Infallible Authority So as without all Controversie Prelaticall Authority over other Ministers is no Calling of God at all which we now come more fully to shew by the Testimony of the Apostles both in their Doctrine and Practise CHAP. VI Wherein is shewed that according to the Scripture Preshyters and Bishops are all one without difference so as he which is a Presbyter is called Episcopus a Bishop and a Bishop a Presbyter THe first place of Scripture that proves this is in Acts 20. where the Apostles called together the Presbyters or Elders of the Church of Ephesus as ver. 17. which Elders or Presbyters in v. 28. he calls Episcopus saying Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the Flocke over the which the Holy Ghâ—st hath made you Episcopous that is Overseers as our English renders the word or Bishops to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood From which words it is manifest First that Presbyters and Bishops are all one and the same Order Calling and Office Secondly that in the Church of Ephesus there were many Bishops or Presbyters Thirdly that they had their Calling from the Holy Ghost Fourthly that their Office was to feed the Flock of God over the which the Holy Ghost had made them Overseers And for this Cause such are called elsewhere * Pastors and Teachers right Shepheards indeed that feed the Flocke of God Now will our Prelates say First that they are those Episcopi What more contrary to their Canons and practise For First they doe not allow that every Presbyter be called a Bishop nor to be of the same Order Calling and Office For they say that the Order Calling and Office of a Bishop or Prelate is distinct and different from that of the Presbytery Secondly the Prelates have an old Canon that there must be but one Bishop in one City or Diocese But here we see the Church of Ephesus that one City had many Bishops in
and just Lawes and not by a Lawlesse Tyranny which it selfe is an Hierarchicall Tyranny and such as Tyranniseth over soules bodies and estates Or can Prelates be true Friends to Princes who under a false vizard of Friendship labour to corrupt them by their flattery to make them forget they are men to make them disaffected with their good Subjects to make them the Authors of Innovation in Religion by suppressing the Truth by their publicke Edicts which tends to fill the People with discontents and to stirre up Sedition and the like Can this be safe for Monarchie or peaceable for the Civil State or a thing in it selfe most Christian Nor is it so onely with our present Prelates Revolve all Histories since Antichrists exaltation and ye shall find that never any great Treasons have been either against the persons of Princes or their Civil States if they were but suspected of disaffection to the Papacy or Romish Religion but either a Prelate or some of his faction had his finger in it But there it may suffice that our eyes have been witnesses of the effects of Prelaticall pranks and practises in being so busie and bold to bring in againe the Romish Religion and after the Gospel had taken such deep rooting So as if our Kings wisdome had not been the greater in composing things in a peaceable way as foreseeing the dangerous Consequences that might have ensued in case he should have by a strong hand gone about to have reduced that Antic bristian Government into that Kingdome which it had now cast out God knows what wofull calamities such a Warre might have produced But blessed be God for preventing it Againe As the Pope lifts up himselfe above and against all Emperious Kings and Princes yea setting his feet on their necks causing them to hold his stirrop to lead his palfrey and doe such like Offices as his Holinesse Booke of Ceremonies and other Histories shew to hold their Kingdomes in Fee from him and the like and as his Cardinalls take place of Kings his Arch-prelates of Dukes his Prelates of Lords So our Prelates which come from them and proâ—esse still to be of one and the same Church with them of one and the same Hierarchicall Catholicke Church of one and the same Faith and Religion as before is noted doe they not the like according to their proportion and degree Doe not Archprelates take place of Dukes and Prelats of Lords Nay doe they not set their feet upon the neck of the Kings Laws while they though as yet de jure they cannot yet de facto they doe exempt themselves from them in that they by their power in Court and threatnings in their own Courts so terrifie all Prohibitions that they dare not peep or shew their Faces in the High-Commission as the Author of the * Apologie and Two Sermons For God and the King hath observed though he hath payd dearely for his truth telling Thus doe they not u`praÃrethai highly exalt themselves above all that is called God as above Kings and Civil States while they dare thus withdraw their necks from under the obedience of their good and just Laws the benefit whereof the Kings good Subjects should enjoy in relieving themselves and their innocent Cause from the Prelates unjust and tyrannicall oppressions in the lawlesse proceeding in their Courts and so set their proud feet upon the Kings both Laws which are the sinews and loyall People which are the members of the same Body Politick whereof the King is the Head Do they not herein come neere their Father Pope who trampleth upon Emperours necks when they dare tread upon the Kings feet as ‡ the Serpent did upon Christs heele And for this Cause is the Hierarchie or Antichristianisme called by the Apostle the Mysterie of Iniquity Yea the Mystery tes a'nomÃas of Lawlessenesse for which cause the Head of this Mystery to wit the Grand Antichrist or the Pope is called o`anomos that Lawlesse one which our English turnes That wiâ—ked So as here may fitly come in Antichrists Fift Title o` a'nomos that Lawlesse one This the Pope proves himselfe to be as being subject to no Laws either of God or man So as he saith he hath all Laws folded up in the Cabinet of his own brest as being the great Oracle of the world and the onely infallible Iudge in matters of Faith at least when he Sits in Peters Chaire and that he can dispense with the Aposâ—â—â— and the like But how doth his agree with our Prelates Are they also such a'nomi such Lawlesse ones as to merit the next place to the Pope for the Title of Antichrist Yes surely they hold a correspondence with their Syre so as in all things they doe patrifare shew themselves to be his Sons Of their Lawlessenesse in regard of Subjection to Princes Laws we spake but now And now remaines to shew how they are Lawlesse in regard of Gods Laws First their Hierarchâ—e is 〈◊〉 at all nor in any thing as neither gâ—oâ—â—ded so regulated by the Law of God and of Câ—â—ist but meerly by their own Lawlesse Canons which are the Laws of their Lawlesse Kingdome Yea and when they list they have a Prerogative to goe either beyond or against their Canons in case their lust find not scope enough Secondly as is noted before they not onely can dispense with Gods Law but dare and doe annihilate it and make it of no authority For they doe unmoralize the 4th Commandement as concerning the Sabbath day for Christians they allow profane Sports thereon which Gods Law hath altogether forbidden they forbid preaching on that day which Gods word commandeth to be both in season and out of season they altogether forbid preaching of the Doctrines of Grace which Gods word commends unto us and commands to be preached they Suspend the sense of the Articles of Religion touching Gods free Grace thereby giving way to the contrary Errours which they forbid Preachers to confute flatly against * Gods Commandement they dispense with the fift Commandement dissolving the bond of obedience in Children and Servants to the Parents and Masters and stripping those Governours of their Authority over them while they give them liberty to Sport and run riot on the Lords day and threaten all that shall dare to controule them And herein also they destroy Mans Law for the Law of the Land no where either allows any such profane Sports on the Lords dayes but flatly forbids them or forbids Parents and Masters to restraine their youth from such profanatiâ—ns or to correct them if they offend and will not obey then Lawfull Commands nor much lesse hath the Law of the Land given any such power and authority to any Civil Magistrate or other to punish those that shal be brought before them for exercising their lawfull authority over those under their charge And we all know that the Prelates had the chiefe hand not onely in penning but in publishing that Booke for Sports on
also as in all the rest at least petty Gods Sitting in the Temple of God shewing themselvs to be so many Gods As for their materiall Princely Thrones in materiall Temples they have them set up in great State But this is nothing to that Throne which they have set up and wherein they sit and raigne over the Consciences and Soules of Gods people their multitude of Canons and Ceremonies being so many Laws by which they rule over them and so many bonds or Chaines whereby they hold them in Spirituall bondage And thus they sit also as God in the Timple of God shewing themselves to be God in saying they are Christs Vice-Roys and the Apostles Successors having Authority from Christ to exercise that their Iurisdiction and Power over Gods People who are the living Temples of the living God Thus we see all along how this Army of Priests as Gâ—egory and others call them the Prelates do follow their Captain and King Antichrist step by step in all his properties here described by the Apostle The last thing we propounded here to speake of is That Apostacie must goe before to strow the way to the full revealation of the Mystery of Iniquity and so of Antichrist which Apostacie was partly and primarily the Prelacie I say partly and primarily For partly the removall of the Imperiall Seat from Rome to Constanâ—inople by Constantine and partly the decaying and declyning of the Empire and partly the defection of sundry Kingdomes from the Empire made way for Antichrists greatnesse to which he grew not but by degrees and that through many Ages Yet the prime foundation of his Babylonian Tower was layd in the Apostles own times they labouring to hinder it all they could but not prevailing herein they preached and writ against it and so forewarned Gods people to beware of it And this foundation so long agoe begun to be layd was the Prelacie or rather the Spirit of Prelacie which had a time of working even while the Apostles lived and became to be as it were an Embrio or little Masse but did not receice the forme of a body till afterwards and was long a growing up untill it came to the full stature Now I say the spirit of Prelacie was the very beginning of the Apostacie which was Antichrists way-maker But how doth it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacie began to worke in the Apostles dayes And then secondly how will it appeare that this spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacie For answere First that the Prelacie began to get life in the Apostle time it is manifest by sundry places of Scripture As 2. Cor. 11. 20. Ye suffer saith the Apostle to the Corinthians if a man bring you into bondage if a man devoure you if a man take of you if a man exalt himselfe if a man smite you on the face Now the Apostle meanes here of those immediately mentioned before to wit false Ministers whom he calls false Apostles deceitfull workâ—rs is transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ v. 13. 15. These as young Prelates would be Apostolicâ—ll men and they have the qualities of Prelates they Captivate Gods people as before they devoure take exalt themselves smiteâ— just Prelate-like And for brevity to omit sundry other places we find one pretty briske Prelaticall man in 3. Iob. 9. 10. his Name was Diotrephes and he did beare himselfe according to his Name as one of Iupiters nurslings his qualities are these 1. He loveth to have the preeminence 2. he receiveth not the Apostles and brethren 3. he prateth against them with malicious words 4. he neither receiveth the brethren and forbiddeth them that would 5. he casteth them out of the Church Loe here a pretty well grown Prelaticall Child a pregnant Sparke to make a Lord Prelate of For all his Properties are proper to a Prelate for a Prelate first loves the preeminence 2. though he pretend to Succeed the Apostles yet his deeds shew that he hates both their Doctrine and Example persecuting them in their true Successors 3. he receiveth not the brethren yea 4. he so hates the very name of holy brethren that he forbids all men to receive them and 5. he casteth them out of the Church he playes fy gib with his thunderbolt of Excommunication I might insist more and inlarge all these particulars but this may suffice to shew that the Spirit of the Prelacie was stirring in the wombe of the Church even while the Apostles lived Now for the Second it is no lesse true that the Spirit of the Prelacy was and is an Apostacy from Christ This first appeares by the Apostles former words of falling away first which made way for Antichrist And this began in the Prelacie for the Prelacy is the setting up of a new Church a new Kingdome turning Christs heavenly Kingdome into an earthly and the Spirituall into a carnall and the Kingdome of Grace into a Kingdome of terrene glory and the Church militant into a Church malignant and triumphant as before is noted and the true Catholicke Church which we beleeve to consist of all the Elect onely Christs living members into a new Catholicke visible Church of all nominall Christians tagge and ragge Papists and others and in a word the Church of Christ into the Church and Synogogue of Antichrist Is not here then a fearefull Apostacie and falling from Christ Time calls me off and therefore I must be very briefe I will adde therefore but one place more for the proofe of this That Prelacy is Apostacy from Christ It is in 1 Io. 2. 18. Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Loe here is an Apostacie and it is of certaine Antichrists that were then sprung up even many Antichrists But how doth this concerne our Prelates Let us looke but a little lower and as before we found them wrapped in the Swadling Clouts of the Mystery of Iniquity So here we shall behold them in the very robes of Antichrist For v. 22. Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist c. Now what is it to deny Iesus to be the Christ Surely we must so take these words as we hold the Analogie of faith and so as they crosse not the Mystery of Iniquity which we shewed before to be a denying of Christ under a colour of confessing him Now then there is a twofold denyall of Christ one in words another in works So the Apostle saith of such * They porfesse that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate So
are comprehended many for it is a Mystery yet one is mentioned Chap. 2. 1. because I say it holds proportion with the vision Againe if by the Angel here they would have to be understood a Diocesan Bishop then they must prove that this Diocesan hath a lawfull Calling as Sent of God Otherwise he is no Angel that is no Messenger no Angel sent of God Or if they say This Angel was sent of God let them prove him to be a Diocesan Bishop And thus they are brought into a Circle and cannot find the way out But they alledge againe That one here notes unity which cannot be without a Diocesan Bishop And therefore a Diocesan Bishop was set up for that end to be a Head of unity for the conservation of Order and Peace in Schismatis remedium for a remedy of Schisme Insomuch as our Arch-prelate as is before noted holds a necessity of one Ordine Primus for the unity and peace of his Catholicke Church Now for answere briefly this being partly touched before true it is that one here is a mysticall note of unity so as in the Angel of the Church of Ephesus is comprehended the whole Church of Ephesus both Ministers and People But one here doth not signifie one Diocesan Bishop Neither is one Diocesan Bishop in a Diocese nor one Metropolitan in a Province or Kingdome nor one Ordine Primus in the whole Catholicke Church of necessity to preserve unity in the Church 'T is true indeed that the Prelates new Catholicke-Church which is Prelaticall may need such a Head as one Ordine Primus to preserve it in unity and peace this being also very usefull for the inlarging of the Tower of Babel for which the Prelate hath so laboured for Peace in the Church of England under the Headship of his Primacy so as had he none to oppose or contradict his wicked practises for the setting up of Popery but all did quietly submit and conforme to his Canon his Babylon would goe up apace and prosper even as * when the old world was all of one language the Tower of Babel went up a maine till God confounded their worke in the division of tongues but the true Catholicke Church of Iesus Christ hath one Bishop of there Soules which is Christ who is that Ordine Primus that ‡ unites the whole body every joynt and every member that is not onely every particular beleever but every particular Christian Congregation is knit to the whole in and under that one Head And so this Body groweth and this building goeth up notwithstanding all the mouths of contradiction and of malicious Sandballets that seek to hinder it Whereas it is not so with the building of Babel For one small breath of the mouth of God in his word breathed by one poore Minister is able to blast the building and therefore the builders cry out against such Fellows as troublers of the State and movers of Sedition And they cannot be in quiet nor their building goe up untill such make-bates be silenced or made our of the way And therefore they labour with the Prince when themselves want power and Law to dâ—e with such as Constantine did with Athanasius Athanasius was the onely man that refused to hold Communion with a sort of Arian Bishops which caused a great gappe in that unity and peace in the Church which Constantine so much desired Well what 's the remedy He thereupon was easily moved to send Athanasius away into banishment and then he thought all would be quiet and in peace But by the way Truth must be looked unto in the first place otherwise what peace For that a false peace and the moeher of farther discord for the which truth is lost And even our Prelate himselfe in his said Booke doth often harpe upon these two strings together Truth and Peace a good harmony were they rightly meant and that his Truth were not made of a Wolfes gut which will never agree with a string made of a Sheeps gut as he pretends his Peace to be But this by the way And whereas they alledge the Prelacie to be a remedy of Schisme Heare ô heavens and hearken ô earth is not the Prelacy the grand Schismaticke I mean not onely in being the most busie and usuall make-bate in all Civil States dividing Prince and People but in setting up a new and false Catholicke Church altogether seperate from and holding no communion with yea excluding all Reformed Churches not Prelaticall as no members of the Catholicke as indeed they be not of the false Catholicke all Prelacie drawing to one Head of the Papacy and that by a necessity of one Ordine Primus as before is noted But to draw to a Conclusion The last Allegation which I note they make is that S. Marke was Bishop of Alexandria Ergo Episcopall Iurisdiction is an Apostolicall Tradition and so jure divino And for this they alledge the Testimony of Ierome where he saith At Alexandria from Marke the Evangelist the Presbyters alwayes chusing one from among them and placing him in a more eminent degree called him Bishop Whereupon the Prelate thus inferres So even according to S. Jerome Bishops had a very ancient and honourable Discent in the Church from St. Marke the Euangelist and this saith Ierome was a Tradition Apostolicke So the Prelate But first for Ierome we noted his words before of such Bishops saying They were set up by humane presumption and not by divine Institution and consequently not by Apostolike Tradition For Apostolicke Tradition is farre from â—umâ—ne presumption So as it is humane presumption to make that Apostolicke Tradition And for S. Marke * Ecclesiasticall Story tells us that Marke was the first that preached the Gospell which also he writ at Alexandria But the Story saith not that Marke was Bishop of Alexandria And the Prelate must marke that he was an Euangelist as also Iereme saith for he wrote the Gospel And the History saith he was ‡ a follower of Peter the Apostle Which if true it makes it more probable that it was that Babylon in Egypt whence Peter wrote his Epistle where he saith The Church that is at Babylon saluteth you and so doth Marcus my Son then that Peter was then at Rome which the Papists to make Peter to have been at Rome are content should be that Babylon from whence he writ And if they will needs have it so let them have it with the whore of Babylon to boot But this by the way But be it that Marke was at Alexandria he was there onely as an Euangelist and to doe the Office of an Euangelist of which we have Spoken before Bishop he was not as the Prelates would have him for that we have already proved to be in their sense condemned both by Christ and by his Apostles and therfore is neither an Institution of Christ nor a Tradition Apostolicke And therefore what ever the Presbyters at Alexandria began to