with which you have any the least Agreement Reduce your proof then a second time into a syllogisme truly made and your case will be alter'd but nothing mended Your fall into the Fire will indeed be regular but you will get no more by it than if you continue in the frying-pan For your truly form'd Syllogism will be but thus whosoever hath none but a Deacon or Deacons to attend him is a Primitive Bishop A Presbyter hath â—one but a Deacon or Deacons to attend him Therefore a Presbyter is a Primitive Bishop Here the matter is as untoward as the Form was before The Major proposition being admirably false For though a man may be a Bishop who hath no more to attend him when no more are to be had and that because no more are needfull which is the thing that Dr. Hammond hath often taught you yet his having no more doth not prove him to be a Bishop which was the thing to be proved from Dr. Hammond When Ignatius reckons the Three Orders Bishops Priests and Deacons 't is as impossible for him to meane that Priests are Bishops as that Deacons are Priests For though every Bishop is a Priest it can no more follow that every Priest is a Bishop than it can possibly follow that every Animal is a man because it is true that every man is an Animal A Primitive Bishop and a meer Presbyter may have a Conversion per Accidens and another conversion by Contraposition but a simple conversion they cannot have To say they can without proof is but the begging of the Question which being sure to be denyed you I shall advise you to beg no more I will conclude this subject with a remarkable passage of Mr. Thorndike And I will do it so much the rather because the weightiness and the price of that excellent Volume may probably keep it from the perusal of vulgar Readers who onely meddle with the cheapest Bookes Mr. Thorndik's judgement of Presbyt Ordinations c. In his Epilogue to the Tragoed Of the Ch. of Engl. Concl. p. 408. The Presbyterians sometimes pleade their Ordination in the Church of England for the authority by which they ordaine others against the Church of England to do that which they received authority from the Church of England to do provided that according to the order of it A thing so ridiculously senseless that common reason refuseth it Can any state any society do an act by virtue whereof there shall be right and authority to destroy it Can the Ordination of the Church of England proceeding upon supposition of a solemn promise before God and his Church to execute the ministry a man receiveth according to the order of it inable him to do that which he was never ordained to do Shall he by failing of his promise by the act of that power which supposed his promise receive authority to destroy it Then let a man obtaine the Kingdom of Heaven by transgressing that Christianity by the undertaking whereof he obtained right to it They are therefore meer Congregations voluntarily constituted by the will of those all whosâ— acts even in the sphere of their ministry once received are become voide by their failing of that promise in consideration whereof they were promoted to it Voide I say not of the crime of Sacriledge towards God which the usurpation of Core constituteth but of the effect of Grace towards his people For the like voluntary combining of them into Presbyteries and Synodes createth but the same equivocation of words when they are called Churches to signifie that which it visible by their usurpation in point of fact not that which is invisible by their authority in point of right For want of this authority whatsoever is done by virtue of that usurpation being voide before God I will not examine whether the form wherein they execute the Offices of the Church which they think fit to exercise agree with the ground and intent of the Church or not Onely I charge a peculiar nullity in their consecrating the Eucharist by neglecting the Prayer for making the elements the dody and blood of Christ without which the Church never thought it could consecrate the Eucharist Whether having departed from the Church Presbyteries and Congregations scorne to learne any part of their duty from the Church least that might seem to weaken the ground of their departure or whether they intend that the elements remaine meer signes to strengthen mens faith that they are of the number of the elect which they are before they be consecrated as much as afterwards the want of consâ—cration rendering it no Sacrament that is ministred the ministring of it upon a ground destructive to Christianity renders it much more Immoderatâ— viâ—ulence towards those of the Episcopal way Sect. 39. I now returne to your long Preface from whence I stept into your book that the things of one Nature might be consider'd together in one Head That for which I am next to complain of you unto your self is your immoderate bitternesse to the Episcopal way and to the men of all qualities who dare to own it Many Gushes of it there are of which I will here transcribe a few * Praef. to Disp. of Church-Gov p. 17. We see that most of the ungodly in the land are the forwardest for your waies You may have almost all the Drunkards Blasphemers and Ignorant haters of godliness in the Country to vote for you and if they durst againe to fight for you at any time The spirit of prophaneness complyeth with you Ibid. and doteth on you in all places that ever I was acquainted in * Grot. Rel. p. 113. should one of you now pretend to be the Bishop of a Diocess you would have a small Clergy and none of the best and the people in most Parishes that are most ignorant drunken prophane unruly with some civil persons of your mind c. * P. 114. The cause of their love to Episcopacy is because it was a shadow if not a shelter to the Prophane heretofore and did not trouble them with discipline and because they troubled and kept under the Puritanes whom they hated But if you did not exercise Discipline on them your Churches would be but the very sinks of all other Churches about you to receive the filth that they all cast out and so they would be so great a reproach to Episcopacy that would make it vile in the eyes of sober men So that a Prelatical Church would in the common account be near kin to an Alehouse or Tavern to say no worse * â— 11â— So that for my part were I your enemy I would wish you a toleration but being really a friend to the Church and you I shall make a better motion c. Whilst you rail at this rate not onely without but against all reason nor onely beside but against your own knowledge as if it were your design to be voted for an ill
that he should be a King yea and a Pope too the Apostolical See being translated to those parts Now Sir however it may suffice for your vindicationâ— that Mr. Hickman is thus evinced to have wrapp'd his own Talent if he hath any in a Napkin and to have swagger'd for a time by spending freely on others men's and though I shall purposely omit to send you the many and large passages which you know he hath plunder'd from Mr. Prinn even because they are so very many and withall so very large that to recite them would make a Volume yet to the end you may be able to grasp them all at one view and to find them with ease if need require I shall briefly set down a Directory both to the pages and to the lines Mr. Prinne Canterburie's Doom Mr. Hickman Concerning the English Jesuite's Book inscribed a Direction to be observed by N.N. See Epist. Ded. p. 6. l. 3 c. along for 2. pages Concerning Bishop Montagues Visitation-Articles See Pref. p. 3. l. 3 c. along for about 16. lines Concerning Bishop Lindsey See ib. p. 10. l. 5 c. along for about 11. lines Concerning the Church of England's supposed holding the Pope to be Antichrist See ib. p. 11. l. 4 c. along for several lines Concerning Dr. Abbot's Sermon at St. Peter's See Book p. 65. l. 8. along for 34. lines Concerning the Jesuite's Letter to the Rector at Bruxells See ib. p. 63. l. 20. along for about 11. lines Concerning the Historical Narration c. intituled to Cerberus and Champneys See ib. p. 18. l. 14. along for 43. lines Concerning Dr. Holland's pretended turning Dr. Laud out of the Schooles upon the score of Presbytery See ib. p. 23. l. 19 c. Concerning Archbishop Laud's Letter to Bishop Hall about Presbytery and the forrain Churches See ib. p. 24. l. 1. along for 10. lines Concerning Episcopacy being an Order or degree in Bishop of Exon's Letter See ib. l. 15. Concerning Images pretended to be forbidden in our times by the Homilies See Pref. p. 8. bot The Image of God the Father c. along for 7. lines Concerning Mr. Sherfield's case See ib. For taking down a glasse window c. along for about 6. lines Concerning a Gentleman's telling Mr. Hickman of the Archbishop's justifying the picturing of God the Father c. See ib. p. 9. along for about 5. lines Concerning Mr. Palmer of Lincolne-Colledge being coursely handled by the Regius P. and called Appellator c. for citing Bishop Montague's Appeal Concerning Mr. Damport See p. 45. l. 8 c. along for about 14. lines Concerning Mr. Pym's Report to the Commons about Mr. Montague's appeale See ib. p. 24. l. 1 c. That he had disturbed the peace of the Church c. along for 10. lines Concerning the Commons Declaration about the sense of the English Articles of Religion See ib. l. 16 c. along for 12. lines Concerning Mr. Montague's Appeale almost strangled in the wombe and such as wrote against it See ib. p. 23. l. 14 c. Concerning Dr. Bray's expunging a clause against worshipping of Images ta'ne out of one of the Homilies out of Dr. Featlye's Sermons See ib. p. 10. l. 18 c. Concerning the calling-in of Dr. Downhams Book of perseverance See p. 47. l. pen. c. Concerning the censure of Mr. Ford Thorn Hodges See ib. Mr. Prinne Ibid p. 114. l. 1. so on to the end Ibid p. 177. l. 4. so on to the end Ibid p. 360. on to the end Ibid p. 542. l. 28. 278. bott 276. l. 38. ib. l. 17. p. 275. l. 24. Ibid p. 155. l. 24. so on to end See also p. 410 411. ib. Ibid p. 159. l. 39. so on to the end Ibid p. 167. l. 37. c. 168. l. 38 c. p. 169. l. 35. 170. l. 17 c. ib. l. 39. p. 508. l. 7. Ã fin Ibid p. 389. l. 20 c. Ibid p. 274. l. 22. so on to the end Ibid p. 275. l. 25 c. Ibid p. 102. l. 7 c. Who in this window had made no lesse then 7 c. so on to the end ib. l. 24 c. The image of God the Father c. so on to the end and p. 103. l. 18 c. Ibid p. 103. l. 11 c. so on to the end Ibid p. 157. l. 28 c. From An Renati c. on to the end Ibid. p. 158. l. 41 c. 1 That he had disturbed c. so on to the end Ibid. p. 163. l. 18 c. We the Commons c. so on to the end Ibid. p. 157. l. 15. c. p. 159. l. 20 c. ib. l. 7 c. Ibid. p. â—08 l. 25 c. Ibid. p. 171. l. 30 c. Ibid. p. 174 l. 175. Mr. Prinne Anti-Arminianism Mr. Hickman Concerning Dr. Iohn Bridges's Book called a Defence of the Government c. and about his opinion that falling away is not grounded on our 16. Article See Pref. p. 45. l. antep Concerning Tyndallâ—s Frith's Barnes's works preserved put forth by Iohn Day and prefac'd by Mr. Fox See ib. p. 13. l. 19 c. Concerning Bishop Ponet's Catechism imposed by K. Edw. 6. on all Schools See ib. p. 16. l. 13. c. Concerning Questions and Answers about Predestination at the end of the Old Test. of Rob. Barkers Bible See ib. p. 17. l. 16. Concerning the English Articles agreed confirm'd c. in several Reigns See ib. p. 14. Concerning Dr. Iackson's Questions in Vesper and concerning Dr. Frewenâ—s Questions See ib. p. 28. l. 28. c. Concerning Bishop Carletons saying That albeit the Puritans troubled the Church about Discipline yet they did not so â—bout Doctrine See Book p. 42. l. 7. c. Concerning the University of Cambridge s Letter to the Chancellour for suppressing of Baro's Opinions See p. 66. l. 18 c. Concerning our Articles being Anti-Arminian because composed by such as were disciples of Bucer and Martyr See Pref. p. 18. l. 6. c. Concerning K. Iames's hard words of the Remonstrants See Book p. 39. l. 5. c. ib. l. 11. c. Mr. Prinne Ib. p. 202. l. 8. c. See also p. 6. l. 23. c. Ib. p. 79. l. 3 c. ib. l. 18. and ib. l. 20. Ib. p. 48. l. 31 c. see just before two leaves of the said Catechism from f. 37. to f. 41. see ib. p. 48. l. 28 c. Ib. p. 51. l. 1 c. and p. 54. l. 6 c. Ib. p. 4. Ib. p. 249. l. 12. and p. 250. l. 11 c. Ib. p. 262. l. 18 and p. 263. l. 7. ib. l. 16. Ib. p. 256. l. 18 c. see p. 253. l. 27 c. and p. 256. l. 18. Ib. p. 12. l. 3 c. Ib. p. 214. and p. 205. l. 26 c. and 206. l. 3 c. see also p. 89. l. 13. Having
England * In ist's Remediis quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 medici vocant parum est auxilii Neque potest partium unitas nisi à corpoâ—is unitate sperari Non possum non laudare praeclarum Aâ—gliae Canonem An. Dom. 1571. c. De Imperio sum po circa sacra cap. 6 witness his sixth Chapter De Imperio summarum potestatum circa sacra wherein he doth not onely insist upon the same means of union for which he pleads in his later writings but exceedingly commends our English Canon agreed upon in the yeâ—r 1571. exactly tending to the very same end Inprimis verò videbunt Concionatores nequid unquam dâ—ceant pro Concione quod à populo religiosè teneri credi velint nisi quod consentaneum sit Doctrinae Veteris ac Novi Testamenti quodque ex illâ ipsâ Doctrinâ Catholiâ—â— Patres Veteres Episcopi collegerint Because the Scripture is made a Lesbian Rule by a great variety of Professors who are irreconcileable amongst themselves therefore no Exposition ought to be taken for authentick so soon as that which hath been made by the Catholick Fathers and Ancient Bishops of the Church In a word it doth appear as well by * Casauâ— Epist. 220. Hu. Gro. 1612 Epist. 221. c. Casaubon's and Bishop Overall's Epistles to Grotius as from his to them and to Thuaâ—us and divers others that his desires of union were no other then what were common to him with the soberest Protestants in the World in particular with Melanchthon whom he proposeth as his exemplar in all his writings of that affair Nay in two Epistles to Duraeus which a learned Mr. Clement Barksdale in his Mâ—morials of Grotius admirer of his Works hath very usefully made English he is as palpably a Protestant as Cardinal Bellarmin was a Papist for he clearly justifies our breach with Rome and heartily wisheth our agreement amongst our selves however hindered by those who defile themselves with a proud conceit of being holier and purer then their Fathers and Brethren of the Church He unites his Consultations with both our English Embassadors how our union may be accomplished to which he exhorts so much the rather because he observes that our Division doth strengthen Popery and make Proselytes for Rome Such were Grotius his Counsels no longer since then in the year of our Lord 1637. And though you confidently say that He mentions the Protestants with distaste as pretended Reformers p. 33. yet I know the contrary to be a very great truth * Traxit in auxilium sui Reformâ—torum Principes Pontificlorum fervidiores meam praesentiam aliis de causis suspectant Epist. 172. p. 422. A.D. 1635. Foâ— how severely soever he useth to speak of the rebellious and sacrilegious who by their Heathenish practises and oâ—inions had put a publick disgrace on the Reformation in pretending themselveâ— the Authors of it yet of regular Protestants he never speaks without love and reverence and simply calls them the Reformed in opposition to Pontificians who stand in need of Reformation That unavowable sort of Protestants whom he reproves with sharpness the meek and moderate †Look forward on ch 5. sect 9. Dr. Sanderson rebuketh as sharply as he hath done yet he is not the likelier to be a Papist Arg. 14. From many places of his Discussio printed in the year 1645. as well as from its whole design his aversion to Papism doth very sufficiently appear And as that is the book from whence you draw your objections so from that very book you could not have fail'd of satisfaction had you impartially either read or considered all * Discuss p. 10. His desire that the rules of Vincentius Lirinensis might be observed was common to him with King Iames Isaac Casaubon yea with Gregory Calixtâ—s and Doctor Reynolds against Hart. †Nec aliud desiderat Confessio Augustanâ— Diâ—unt enim qui eam amplexi sunt Principes Civitates de nullo Articulo Fidei dissentire se c. sed paucos abusus à se omitti qui novi sunt contra voluntatem Canonum vitio Temporum recepti ib. p. 14. He would not onely have the Canons of the Council of Trent to be commodiously expounded in order to peace but also in order to reformation he would have all taken away which evil customes and manners have introduced In a word he would have that then which the Augustan Confession desires no more And many moderate Papists desired no less He allowes the Pope no * Ibid. p. 1â— other Primacy then is allowed by the Canons of oecumenical Councils and may consist with the rights of the several Patriarchs of the East disapproving his usurpations no lesse then Casaubon himself †Ibid. p. 15. He loves to style that Vsurper by the modest name of the Bishop of Rome and fastens the Primacy which he allowes nâ—t so much on the Pope as the Church of God for Zanchy himself doth so expresse her Arg. 15. To prove he speaks as a Peace-maker which he was not as a Papist which he was not he cites the Declarations of some chief * Ibid. p. 69. Protestants in the behalf of such a Primacy as he and they have thought due to the Roman Prelate Not onely King Iames who granted as much in a manner as Cardinal Perron exacted of him in order to the Unity and Peace of Christendom nor onely Bucer a moderate Protestant but even Blondel the Patron of Presbyterians and even Calvin himself are brought in speaking to his advantage to whom I might adde Franciscus Iunius and our learned Mountague in his Appeal to Caesar. The words of Blondel are very remarkable Non negari à Protestantibus dignitatem Sedis Apostolicae Romanae neque Primatum ejus super Ecclesias vicinaes imâ—o aliquatenus super omnes sed referri hoc ab iis ad jus Ecclesiasticum Nor can I remember I ever read that Grotius pretended to any more For obedience due from all seculars unto the Bishops of the Churâ—h he cites the * Ibid. p. 70. Augustan Confession For the want of reformation in the Presbyterian Churches he cites the †Ibid. p. 73. Confession of Mr. Rivet For the admitting of such words as Transelementation and Transubstantiation with their convenient explications in order to Peace and Reconcilement * Ibid. p. 77. he cites Modreviâ—s and our King Iames. For the Protestants return to the Church of Rome upon condition that that Church will also return unto the Primitive he cites the Prayers and Protestation of learned Zanchy Ab Ecclesiâ Româ—nÃ¥ non aliâ— discessimus animo quà m ut si correcta ad priorem Ecclesiae formam redeat nos quoque ad illam revertamuâ— communionem cum illâ in suis porrò coetibus habeamus Apud Grot. p. 14. apud ipsum Zanch. in Confess Art 19. p. 157. who notwithstanding his being a Presbyterian concluded his
any of these new-fangled Refiners And as the present Case standeth it may be doubted whether they or the Iesuites do offer more danger or be more speedily to be repressed For albeit the Iesuites do empoison the hearts of her Majesties subjects under a pretext of conscience to withdraw them from their obedience due to her Majesty yet do they the same but closely and only in privy corners but these men do both publish in their printed books and teach in all their Conventicles sundry opinions not onely dangerous to the well-setled Estate and Policy of the Realm by putting a Pike between the Clergy and the Laity but also much derogatory to her sacred Majesty and her Crown as well by the diminution of her ancient and lawful Revenues and by denying her Highness Prerogative and Supremacy as by offering peril to her Majesties safety in her own kingdom In all which things however in many other points they pretend to be at war with the Popish Iesuites yet by the seperation of themselves from the unity of their fellow-subjects and by abusing the sacred authority and Majesty of their Prince they do both joyn and concur with the Iesuites in opening the door and preparing the way to the Spanish Invasion that is threatned against the Realm And thus having according to the weakness of my best understanding delivered her Majesties most Royal pleasure and * Mark what was wisdom in Q. Elizabeth's days wise direction I rest here with most humble suit for her Majesties gracious pardon in supply of my defects and recommend you to the Author of all good counsel Here you see the Presbyterians were then the Puritanes the new-fangled râ—finers of giddy spirits The Episcopal persons were then the godly as well as the learned of the land O what times do we live in when a new-named godliness is grown in fashion The judgment of Dâ— R. Clerk one of the Translators of the Bible concerning the then-Puritanes in his second visitat Serm. on Zech. 11.17 Vae Pastori Idolo p. 251. Sect. 13. In the time of Doctor Richard Clerk not a Courtier nor an Arminian to whom with Doctor Saravia the translation of the Bible was committed as far as from the Pentateuch to the Paralipomeâ—a you may see what judgment was made of Puritanes by several passages of his Sermons Amongst very many others take that which follows The two Universities the very eyes of the Realm being so well able to furnish God's Flock with seeing Shepherds our Church is little beholding to her Patrons for preferring to the Regiment of her Flock so many unletter'd and unsufficient Priests either Idols or Idols fellows Whose eyes have either a film grown over them that they see nothing or a Pin and Web in them that they see but little And these are the men whose tongues are fierie indeed but not cloven that is zealous but not learned preach against learning pull down the Prelacy to rear up a Presbyterie Bray-forth intemperate censures against the lawful ceremonies of the Church as being superstitious the dregs and reliques of Popery kneeling at the Sacrament the repetition of certain prayers in our Liturgie the singing of Service the sound of the Organ in Collegiate Churches the square Cap and Surplisse the painted windows marrying with the Ring and christening with the Cross and such like In some of which were our Prelates as couragious as our Puritanes â—re presumptuous they would be either enforced to order or turned out of Orders You see the opinion of that both learned and pious man who tells us who were the Puritanes and what they were and that the Prelates were never too cruel to them unlesse it were in being too kind Observe what he saith in another Sermon Our factious Pharisees joyn with the Herodians In his 1. Visit. Serm. on Num. 16.3 p. 242.243 and that against Christ. Iudas-like they betray him into the hands of sinners The pragmatical Presbyterian preacheth against Prelacy unto Lay-ears A pleasing Argument unto some Seculars either Schismatical or Sacrilegious both men of zeal passive in the one The zeal of God house eat them up active in the other They have a zeaâ— to eat up God's house cry with Zeba and Zalmunna Let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession 'T was once Simeon and Levi brethren in evil 'T is now Reuben and Levi Levi must be one Our â—orah's and Dathan's have not risen yet Not come forth in publick The wisdom of our Senators hath prevented that they should not swaâ—m But they have lain out often They have gathered together sometimes sixty at once in Corners Their Classes Synods Conferences have been at least in Moses his moderate term gatherings together Their Petitions Supplications Admonitions Demonstrations what were they but gatherings together Works but of some one head happly but of many hands Their very motions are commotions penn'd by some one maintain'd by multitudes Ib. p. 245. Some of the Titles which they envy the Bishops they can be content to assume unto themselves Right Reverend Fathers yea Cartwright most * This the Title of an Archbishop Reverend The best is Calvin and Beza differ here Beza's wrong to Bishops Calvin rights and calls even Archbishops a moderate honour Sect. 14. If you would see a great deal in a little time An accompt of Puritanes from the Examen Historicum concerning the nature of a Puritan before he had gotten himself the name as well as after you may be pleased to consult the lâ—te Exameâ— Historicum set out by that exact and learned Writer whom you name without his due title as if you thought him an under-graduate although you could not but know him an eminent Doctor in Divinity * p. 91 92. c. Wâ—ckliff's new Gospel He will shew you a part of Wickliff's Gospel and what a Protestant Religion he would have brought into the World fitly said by that Reverend Author to contain the lineaments of the Puritane-platform He will shew you where you may read †p. â—06 that the Dominicans with a Puritane can pass for Orthodâ—x in judgment * p. 109. And they who approve of good works for Prelaâ—icaâ—ly affected (a) p. 128.129 There you may see a Den of Schismaticks Canoniz'd and Sainted by a Time-serving Historian whilest Things prescribed by God's Church are Toyes and Trinckets (b) p. 130. You may read of a Puritan's immortal malice pursuing the Protestant's Champion into his Bed of Rest as if the Iesuites had hir'd him to kill their enemy when he was dead (c) â— 156.157 Their helping on the Popish Iâ—terest You may see a Puritane defending those scurrilous Libels which Iob Throgmorton Penry Fenner and the rest of the Puritane Rabble it is the Authors own word did publish in â—rint against the Bishops having first exclaimed against the Queâ—n and hâ—r Councel for being Protestants in their wits that is as they phrased it for
5. But you proceed to tell me That for the casting out of able faithfull godly Ministers because they are Prelaticall Presbyteriall Independent Arminians or interested in the Civil Differences this you utterly disown Sect. 26. If you speak in good earnest how then can you justifie the casting out any by any means unless by that very Law by which it is granted they stood possess'd Will you say in your defence that the Law is now changed that the Committees for Ejection can do the same things now which onely the Bishops and their Officers could do before But your Concession disinables you from saying This For then as many as were concerned in the civil Differences as opposing this new Law might be justly cast out by your good leave which you profess notwithstanding that you do utterly disown Nay then even your self must be acknowledged by you self to be justly expulsible from the Living which you possess for your disowning and detesting and that in print the several Ordinances and Actions of Them that thrust you into your Living You cannot therefore say that the Law is changed and being not able to say that you must confess your Sequestration to be illegall yoâ—r Predecessor being not ejected nor you succeeding into his Place by the Law of the Land which is still in force And which I have made it appear you unavoidably confess I therefore give you my solemn Thanks for so publickly disowning all those Parliamentary proceedings against a multitude of as learned and as godly Protestant Divines called commonâ—y Prelaticall as the Châ—istian World hath ever had since the Times of Luther Not onely those holy and learned Fathers of the Church whom you may possibly call Arminian but even those who have most of your own Applause as Bishop Morton Bishop Hall Bishop Davenant Bishop Prideaux Doctor Oldsworth Doctor Sanderson and so the rest have been all cast out as the Dung of the Earth for no imaginable reason but the Civil Differences you speak of None were ever ejected for being meerly Presbyterial that I can think on It having been quite another thâ—ng for which Dr. Reynolds was so suddenly cast out of Christ-Church How Independents may have suffered for being susâ—ected to be Arminians you may guesse by the partiall and shamefull dealings of the Triers whom Mr. Goodwin hath displayed in his book on that subject And had it not been for an Army which put a Hook into their Nostrils the Presbyterians in all likelyhood had ruin'd All. Sect. 6. You tell me further Accusations are of no value when onely general and without proof that the casting out of the utterly insusficient ungodly unfaithful scandalous or any that do more harm then good you take to be one of the most pious and charitable works supposing a better put in the place that you can put your hand to sect 26. But who by name are the ungodly and all the rest of the ugly things which here you call them in a breath Mean you the Readers of Common Prayer the Sons of Order and Obedience who stand fast to their Principles in time of trial and rather then be perjur'd will gladly perish Were I pleas'd to recriminate perhaps I could make your ears tingle But this is onely to inveigh against the Prelatists in general as the Quakers do against Presbyterians and by such practises as these you justifie the Quakers against your selves When you read me writing against the Puritanes you read my evidences and reasons and undeniable proofs that from matters of fact which themselves have put upon Record Consider your own words in their natural consequence and then suppose that Anabaptists should prevail as much by the sword against your party as yours hath done against Episcopal Divines Casting you all out of the Livings of which at present you are possest and putting in others of their perswasion Would they not plead for so doing as you for the things that you have done Would they not say that they had cast out the insufficient and the ungodly and put better into their places and that this was one of the most pious works that they could possibly put their hands to Did not the Puritanes in Saxonie who threw down Oratories and Churches and Church-men too as Antichristian call themselves the New Ierusalem A holy people sent from God to deliver his Saints out of Egypt the spiâ—itual Egypt of Superstition Did they not enter into a League of Association to throw down all Scepters at the feet of Christ that themselves being the meek ones might inherit the earth And did they not begin with greater appearances of Godliness then the men of your party have yet afforded Or did you ever yet read of any Persecutors in Christendom who oppressed the just as they were just and not rather under the notion of the unfaithfull and the ungodly that so they might seem to set their hands to a pious work Nay did not the Papists say the same for their casting out the Protestants in the Valleys of Piemont and the Bohemian Churches in the Kingdom of Poland which you who professe to be Catholick do now alledge for the ruining of English Protestants It is so easie to find a staffe for the beating of a Dog and to reproach those persons who are designed for a Rejection that I wonder you can write at so low a rate Aâ— ill mâ—n may have a good title to his Estate and must not be wrong'd for being uâ—â—ighteous Again consider your own Principle you think you cannot do better then to remove a bad man that a better may come into his place As if the worst of men might not have right unto the greatest Estate or Possession whilest the best have no right unleâ—s it be unto the least The veriest Atheist in the world may lawfully come by an Estate whether by gift or purchase or inheritance whilest godly Lazarus must thankfully enjoy his scarceness and be content with those crumbs which daily fall from the rich mans table He must not bid Dives come out of his House deliver up his purple Luc. 16 19 20 21. because they both are too good for so great a Sinner but meekly stand or lie down at the Great mans Door And therefore admitting they were ungodly whom you have helpt to cast out you should have turned them out of their Rights before you had medled with their Possessions Bishop Hall hath told you that God loves Adverbs better then Adjectives the Benè better then the Bonum Good Deeds may be abominable if they are not well done I am as willing as any other that every scandalous Minister should be made to reform or to remove But if it must come to a removal let his punishment be legall let him enjoy the Law whilest he endures it For even a Murderer or a Thief hath certain Priviledges and Rights both in the manner of his Trial Execution It is an intolerable mistake to
make the world believe that you have not onely made a change but a Reformation worth more A signal Confession That what is called a Reformatiâ—â— was but a châ—nge unto the worse you may be sure then all the Blood of the Christians which hath been poured upon the earth or then all the money which hath been spent or then the Widowes and Orphans which have been made or then the Consciences and Souls which have been ship-wrackt I shall convince you of the contrary by the publick Confession of your own party and by your own confession in particular First the most eminent of your Brethren have unanimously confess'd to all the world * See the Testimony to the Truth of J.C. subscribed by the Ministers within the Province of Lond. That in stead of true Piety and Power of godliness they had opened the very floodgates to all Impiety Profaneness that after they had removed the Prelatical yoke from their shoulders by their covenanted endeavours there was a rueful p. 30. deplorable deformed face of the affairs of Religion swarming with noysom Errors P. 29. Heresies Blasphemies in stead of Faith and Truth P. 30. torn in pieces with destructive Schisms P. 26. Separations Divisions Subdivisions in stead of Unity and Uniformity †P. 31. That in stead of a Reformation they might say with sighs what their Enemies said in scorn they had a Deformation in Religion and in stead of extirpation of ☜ Heresie Schism Profaneness c. they had an impudent general inundation of all those Evils Can you possibly have more Sir against the change in the Church then here is publickly attested by them that made it There were no such things in the Bishops times nay none such could be Gods Inclosure was then so mounded wiâ—h a Hedge of Discipline and Order and even the Hedge was so fenced with a double Wall of Law and Canon that either no uncleane Beasts could enter in or if they did they were soon cast out and impounded Our Saviour noted him for a Fool who should begin to build what he could not finish What then is He who pulls down what is built that he may build it up in a better Frame when he is not assured he shall be able to begin much less to finish his new Design You now profess Dâ—sp of Ch. Gov. and Worship p. 275. c. you are all for Bishops but when you had them you would have none How very little of your Presbytery had you erected when blessed be God you were restrained by better men then your selves And yet your Brethren have confessed a good Confession they say they do it with Sighs I would it were with Sincerity that in stead of Reformation which was fairly promised unto the people a Deformation in Religion is most conspicuous Agreeable to this See your Pl. Scr. Pr. of Inf. Ch. Memb. Bapt. Edit 1. p. 174. I find you saying to Mr. Tombs That Satan in these times hath transformed himself into an Angel of Light Is the Devil himself turn'd Puritane And his servants into Ministers of light and hath deceived men so far that there is scarce an Error so vile but is pretended to proceed from Glorious light I see also that this Cancer is a fretting and growing evil (b) Note that this you speak of these men whom you call Mr. Tombs his Brethren who were at first against nothing but Inf. Bapt. Some are zealously preaching against the Godheâ—d of Christ and some of them are grown so far that the Parlament is fain to make an Act lately against them that call themselves God and that say Whoredom Murder c. are no sins but he is likest God that committeth them c. I hope their zeal will at last be raised a little you speak this of your own Parlament to befriend Christ the Mediator as well as God the Creator And to put in one Clause against them that shall deny Christ to be come in the Flesh or deny his Godhead or that make a scorn of him openly or that prefer Mahomet before him or that call the Scripture a bundle of Lies c. I hope at last they will not only honour the Father but kiss the Son lest he be angry and they perish in the way Now Sir Presbyterian Confessions to the advantage of the Prelatistsâ— consider what you have said and printed in the year 1651. in recounting these Fruits of your Reformation Consider what you say of your very Parlament You hope their zeal will at last be raised as is till then it had not been and at last be raised a little as if till then it were none at all and to befriend Christ the Mediator as if they wanted even a zeal for Christianity it self And you hope at last they will honour the Son too as if till then they had honoured the Father onely Now this being compared with your other Confessions (a) Ibid p. 120. That many things in the Common Prayer and Rubrick and Canoâ—s of the Church were Excellent and Necessary and therefore unjustly laid down P. 123. That plain Duties were wiped out and the Directory more defective then the Common Prayer ☜ That those excellent things were taken from us which we were in actual possession of P. 123. for that the substance of these was in the Common Pr. That you have cause to repent of your Nationall Covenant as conteining in it things Politicall and Controversiall for this you know is the summe of what you say in those pages wherein a man would have thought you somewhat Prelatically affected Methinks you should easily be perswaded to lay aside your Vatinian hatred of the Episcopal Divines and allow them to be constant unwavering men If there were nothing else with me to make me love mine own Pâ—inciples The Notable Mixtures in your Books would force me to it Thirdly The National Cov. confessed faulty Consider what you have said as touching Episcopacy in the Nationall Covenant that it is one of the smaller and controvertible points Ibid. p. 121. And that you would not have such a Coven rashly imposed upon the Churches Yet you know very well both by whom it was taken and by whom it was imposed and what they suffered who did refuse it 'T was not for swearing as you pretended that men were cast out of their Livings but chiefly because they would not swear And now your self have well absolv'd them when it was said by (b) Cov. with Narrative p. 12 Mr. Nye whom I need but name Caetera Fama dabit That the National Covenant was such an Oath as for Matter Persons and other Circumstances the like hath not been in any Age or Oath we read of in sacred or humane Stories his meaning certainly should have been That it is absolutely the worst that ever was For if he meant it was the best even the best
Presbyterian Independent and Erastian as not the Scriptural way nor the way of Christ. And if all Protestants are reducible to those 4. Heads as sure they are then 't is clear that you write against all the Protestants and make men run into Popery by way of Refuge Or if you fright them also from thence by your winding-sheet or your Key you leave them to be nothing but Iewes and Heathens And I would very fain know what sort of Christians in all the world you have not endeavour'd to Disgrace at one time or another either in earnest or in jest I do seriously profess I can think of none 5. You do exceedingly commend the very same sort of Papists and with the same kind of Praises which Grotius give 's them You say * Grot. Rel. p. 10. when you read their publick writings you think they are now Blessed Soules with Christ. You read them with a great deal of Love and honour to the writers The French moderation is acceptable to all good men That Nation is an honourable ☜ part of the Church of Christ in your Esteem Much more must yoâ— honour the Pacificatory Endeavours of any that attempt the healing of the Church Can you blame Mr. Crandon or any reall Presbyterian for thinking or saying you are a Papist when they read such stuffe and compare it with what you say against Grotius will they not shrug or shake their heads with a Totus Mundus exerâ—et Histrioniam 6. Why should you labor to deceive the vulgar people into a Belief that the ablest Protestants in the land are Grotian Papists in the number of which I am far from reckoning my self unless it were to this end that the simple ones may flye from such as are Protestants indeed and shelter themselves under the Papists for feare of Popery I mean the Papists who march about eject the Protestants and succeed them as well in the profits of their Places as in the priviledge of their Pulpits under the Title and Maske of Presbyterians So very fitly was it said by our Learned and Reverend * See his Unanswerable Preface to the second Edition of his first Sermons Dr. Sanderson That your Party have been the great Promoters of the Roman Interest among us that you have hardened the Papists and betrayed the Protestant Cause 7. You refuse to joyne with us Protestants in the Publick Liturgy of the Church and to Communicate with us in the Sacrament of Eucharist according to the prescription of Lawes and Canons which doth the rather become an Argument of your being turn'd Papist Because in all such sâ—tatutes as have been made since the first year of Queen Elizabeth against Popish Recusants The refusing to be present at Common-Prayer or to receive the Sacrament according to the Formes and Rights mentioned in that Book is expressed as the most proper legal Character whereby to distinguish a Popish Recusant from a true Protestant In so much that Use hath been made of that very Character in sundry Acts since the beginning of the long Parliament for the taxing of double Payments upon Recusants Which very Argument was used by †Reasons of the present Iudgment c. p. 34. the University of Oxford against the Ordinance for the Directory imposed on them 8. In that you profess your self a Protestant and yet declare against all four waies Episcopal Presbyterian Independent and Erastian giving out that the way of Christ must be compounded of all fower you help to justifie the Papists in the reproaches which they cast upon our Religion Ib. p. 5. That we know not what our Religion is That since we left them we know not where to stay and that our Religion is a * Harding confut of Apology part 6. ch 2. Parliamentary Religion Would you have done them so great a service if you had not been of their side A likely matter 9. Your not allowing the Civil Magistrate to be Supreme in all Causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil doth very clearly discover your partialitie to A Pope The Oath of Supremacy here in England was purposely framed for such as You. 10. It was observed by Bishop Bramhall against * p. â—5 Militiere that the private whispers and printed insinuations of Papists touching the Church of England's coming about to shake hands with the Roman in the points controverted was merely devised to gull some silly Creatures whom they found too apt to be caught with chaâ—f And That Art which was us'd to begin our Breach you have craftily continued to make it wider For intus existens prohibet Alienum whilst the Episcopal Protestants are kept from being cast out the Roman Religion can never enter 11. You are a Papist as much as Grotius though you should prove as much a Protestant as Grotius was But you do every where contend that Grotius was a Papist and so at least in that Notion you must needs be a Papist as well as He. 12. You †Grot. Relig. profess to approve of pacificatory Attempts between us and the Papists p. 30. and that you are zealously desirous of it p. 20. and that you honour the peaceable Dispositions of the late Episcopal Divines p. 21. Which being duly compar'd with all you say against Grotius and against the late Episcopal Divines and this again being compar'd with what you have written both for and against the Directory as well as for and against the Common-prayer and against the very Covenant which you pretended to be for and for Episcopacy it self which yet you Covenanted against may lay a ground of Suspicion that you have gotten a Dispensation to use your Tongue and your pen as you see occasion you having been both for and against the Papists as well as for and against the Presbyterians 13. Whilst you labour to prove that Grotius turn'd Papist you are doing the Papists a special service by robbing our Churches of such a prop and by tempting as many to turn Papists as do believe that Grotius knew what was best Whereas the true Protestants on the contrary are encouraged to adhere to the Church of England however disgraced and forsaken by a revolting people by the Iudgment of Grotius that she was neerest unto the Primitive in point of purity and pious Order 14. The Design which is laid by you and others for the Introduction of Poperie is driven on by those means which you have * See your Christian Concord p. 46 47. acknowledged your self to be proper and suitable to the work notwithstanding you have hid them with other Names The first part of the plot is to blow up the sparkes of Schism and Haeresie that our Church being divided may become odious and men be prepared for a Remove The second is An Incessant Indeavour to infect all persons especially those in power Civil or Military with the opinion of Libertinism for which look back on Chap. 3. that so your Doctrines and Practises may have
Ibid. p. 8. At quo jure privati ubi Ecclesiae erant Novas constituerunt Ecclesias nullis ab Episcopis ortas nullis cum Episcopis cohaerentes There he condemns the Reformations so called which were made by the Scotish and other rebellious Presbyterians To beg the Question must not pass for a Reply Sect. 8. To the next part of your Reply p. 383. I easily give you this full Return 1. You do not so much as pretend a proof that you did not mistake the drift of the most excellent Discussio but poorly aske if his words are not plain enough and bid the Readers of his words become the Iudges Thus you are still an arrant Beggar of the Question and as to the duty of a Replicant a meer Tergiversator Any child might have said the first and why do you write so many books if you quit your self manfully in the second In stead of all your Disputes you might have appealed once for all to your partial Readers but then you must not pretend to give any Answer or Replies You aske if Grotius his words are not plain enough thereby implying that they are when yet you prove they are not for I have shew'd and shall shew you your gross mistakes I am ever as ready as you can be to submit my Cause to the indifferent Reader but I suppose it my duty to plead it first Indeed to Poelenburg and Mr. Thorndike and so unerring a person as Dr. Hammond the words of Grotius are plain enough Plain enough to let them see that Grotius was but a peacemaker not a Papist And it seems they are plain even to me because I see the same thing But even for that very reason they cannot be plain enough to you Sir because you seem to see from them that their Authour was what he was not The printed Judgments of those three above mention'd are directly contrary to yours Whether They or you are best able to interpret the Words of Grotius I may very well say Let the Reader judge The learnedest persons in all the world nor onely the learnedest but the most too as well of the Romish as of the Protestant Church do judge of his Words and his Religion as I have shew'd you And could you content your self to say when you could say nothing better Are not his words plain enough and frequent enough to open to us so much of his mind as I have charged him with It is but answering No and then where are you I beg your pardon for my prolixity when such a Syllable would have sufficed 2. You craftily omit the chiefest part of my charge which was that you did either not traslate your Citations or that you did it so lamely * Note that the later words are those of which I taxe you for the omission as to conceal the true meaning from English Readers You translate so much as might make him seem to be a Papist but you forbeared the translating of what would have proved him to be None Which was to use King Iames his instance as if an Atheist should cite those words out of the Psalmist There is no God concealing the words going before The fool hath said in his Heart Had you translated either all or none or as much as had cleared the Authors meaning in the whole you had not met with a reprehension And therefore you wrong your self extremely by saying you purposely omitted to translate the words of Grotius foredeeming that such men as I would have said they were mistranslated p. 383. For you did frequently translate them but you did it with partiality as hath been * See my Advertisement p. penult and compare it with both your books shew'd And so you speak against your knowledge in a publick matter of Fact Having printed your doings you now deny the things done as it were lifting up your right hand against your left If you foredeemed as you pretend why did you dare to translate a little if not why would you say it and why did you not translate a little more Happy is the man who condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth 3. Now at last indeed you translate his wish that the Divulsion which fell out and the Causes of the divulsion might be taken away The primacy of the Bishop of Rome according to the Canons is none of these as Melanchthon confesseth p. 383. But you conceal his next words which make for his and my advantage to wit The opinion of Melanchthon That the Bishop of Rome's primacy is also * Qui Melanchthon cum primatum etiam necessarium putat ad retinendam unitatem Discuss p. 256. necessary to the retaining of unity Which opinion if it made not Melanchthon a Papist in your accompt no nor our own Bp. Bramhal who yet is one of your late Prelates why should not Grotius have been a Protestant the Melanchthonian opinion notwithstanding Did you think that Primacy and Supremacy were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two words for one thing That Primacy of Order in the Church is the same for substance with Supremacy of Power over the Church learn to think so no more from this day forward The Primacy yielded unto the Bishop of Rome is in respect of Order not at all of Iurisdiction and that in Grotius his sense as his next words teach you †Ibid. Neque enim hoc est Ecclesiam subjicere Pontificis libidini sed reponere Ordinem sapienter institutum Which shew's the error of your Confidence in your Grotian Religion p. 35. Sect. 9. Whereas you say you supposed that all you wrote this for understood latin p. 384. You do imply your self faulty for putting part of it in English unless you thought us unable to understand the whole But you confidently add you translated none of the sentence ibid. although you translated a part of it no less than twice in one page And though you thought it no Injury to give accompt in english but of part yet I have shew'd it was an Injury and told you why If I did not translate what I recited out of Grotius to my Advantage you should have thank't me for such a favour as the advancing your Interest by the neglecting of mine own But if you look on my Advertisement as I have done at your appointment you will find me complaining of your silence as to the Causes of the Breach which Grotius did wish might be taken away I had no doubt translated more but for the hastiness of the Carrier which did not allow me so great Advantage I meant by your silence your not acquainting your English Readers with that which serv'd to clear Grotius but onely with that which you thought against him The Negation of Causes viz. that of the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome cannot suffice for your task to prove Grotius a Papist because for that he cites Melanchthon Nor doth the Primacy signify the universall Headship as you do
Grotius to do amiss in so doing was it his fault that he did not lye or is a man turned Papist who relates a matter of Fact as he finds it printed before his Eyes Is any Protestant to be blamed meerly for saying that the Papists do profess to worship none but the Son of God when accused of Idolatry for yielding worship to bread and wine Of what a happy Generation were you descended that you can make a man guilty though never so innocent by somewhat less than an Affirmation But to come from Grotius to the Papists is it not absolutely necessary that they should make that Excuse whilst they suppose as they do that the Elements are converted into the very body and blood of Christ For we know in that Case though what they worship is very Bread which implie's them guilty of material Idolatry yet Christ is That which they mean to worship which free 's them from the guilt of being formally Idolatrous It is not Popery to do the Papists no wrong The way to convince and convert theâ— is to accuse them in measure of their Corruptions A Puritanical opposition â—onfirmes a Papist and make's him conclude he is Orthodox because he Conquer's Two sorts of Papists Discuss p. 15. Sect. 21. Your two last passages out of Grotius which you sadly translated in your p. 388. are joyned together in his Discussio p. 15. and tell us what Papists he understood when he spake of them in â—n Epistle And what hurt can there be in either part Did not Grotius do well in calling those men by the name of Papists who approve of all the sayings and deedes of Popes and â—hat without any difference What a Papist must you be thought if you will not call such Papists as well as Grotius But I perceive by what you say in your Grotian Religion p. 58 59. You collect from those words or would make your Reader at least believe it that none were Papists with Grotius but such as these You hope there be few Papists in the world if thâ—se Onely be Papists p. 59. Nor can you mean any otherwise but by denying that These are Papists Here then I must shew you as great a wilfulness or weakness in your objection as was ever committed by any Writer in this kind For in the page by you cited Grotius make's a Distinction of two sorts of Papists as you have often times done * Grot. Rel. p. 9. Sect. 4. your self and tell 's Mr. Rivet which sort he meant Not which he meant in all places but in illâ Epistolâ in that particular Epistle which Rivet spake of Marke the end of the period as well as the beginning Papistas Grotius in illâ Epistolâ eos intelligebat qui sine ullo discrimine Omnia Paparum Dicta Factaque probant honorum aut lucri ut solet fieri causâ Non eos qui salvo jure Regum Episcoporum Papae sive Episcopo Romano eum concedunt Primatum quem mos Antiquus Canones veterum Imperatorum Regum edicta ei assignant Here are distinctly two sorts of Papists described to us In the Epistle spoken of he meant the former who promiscuously approve of all that come's from the Pope right or wrong good or evil not the later sort of Papists who allow the Pope such a * Note that the later sort of Papists are agreed with in this one particular by Melanchthon Bishop Bramhall David Blondel the Presbyterian and many more Primacy as Antient Custome and the Canons and the Edicts of Emperours and Kings do assigne unto him Did you not know that the second eos was a pronoun Adjective as well as the first And that Papistas was the Substantive with which they did equally agree Dr. Kendal would have said in such a case as this is That a little more of the Grammar-School would have done you no harm If you shall plead in your excuse that your offense was committed through want of Charity towards Grotius not through any the least defect of skill in Grammar you will enforce us to believe you a better Scholar than a Christian 2. But suppose it were as you affirm it yet considering what is meant by sine ullo Discrimine there can be no such ill in it as you suggest For they who approve of as many sayings and doings of the Pope as they discern to have Truth and reason in them and also disapprove of those which have no appearance of truth and Reason amongst whom you may reckon the Presbyterian Followers of Arminius who applaud the Decree of Pope Innocent the tenth cannot properly and strictly be called Papists Next what hurt is there in adding that they who thus approve of all that come's from the Pope do it either for honor's or Lucre's sake Sure they do it not for God's or for Conscience sake And being not on Christian it needs must be on carnal Grounds The chief of which in this matter are Gain and Greatnesse Some indeed there are or may be who may do it onely out of Ignorance But to the consideration of such as Those he had no occasion to descend in that particular passage of which we speak 3. The negative part of the whole sentence which you cut asunder from the Affirmative and set in lieu of a New Argument against its Author whether more wilfully or â—eakly time will shew I have shew'd you the meaning of in the first part of this Section But here I will add for your behoof that there are Papists in the world who are therefore call'd by the name of Papists because they continue in Communion with the Church of Rome and yet do concur with many Protestants as well of the Presbyterian as the Episcopal way touching the Primacy of Order which doth belong to that See From whence we must not conclude that Thuanus turn'd Protestant but that he was a moderate Papist Nor that Blondel turn'd Papist but that he was in this point a very moderate Presbyterian Remember the words of Bishop Bramhall * See your Grot. Rel. p. 22.23 Cyprian gave a Primacy or principality of Order to the Chair of St. Peter as Principium unitatis so do we And yet you profess of this learned Bishop †Ibid p. 23. Sect. 13. that you do not take him for a Papist If to agree in many things whilst in many others we disagree were to be of one Church or of one Religion then would the Papists be all Protestants and all the Protestants would be Papists when Dr. Owen thought you had inrolled him into the Troop of Antinomians Disp. of right to Sacram. 5. p. 485. you pleaded fairly for your self that you reckon'd not all to be Antinomians who held onely some one or few of their Opinions How then could you resolve to reckon Grotius among the Papists who came no nearer unto the Papists than the Papists come to the Protestants No man living can be a Papist
for this one thing of allowing the Pope such a Primacy as Grotius speakes of but denying him the Prerogative of being the universal Pastor or the Supreme head and Governour of the Catholick Church And Grotius give 's a good reason in his following words * Qui quidem Primatus non tam Episcopi est quà m ipsius Ecclesiae Romanae caeteris omnibus praelatae communi consensu c. Discuâ—â— p. 15. Because the Priviledge of the said Primacy was by the common consent of the Antient Church ascribed rather to the Church then to the Bishop of Rome as having been the most eminent of all the Churches in the world I say the most eminent in two respects In respect of the Purity of her Faith when first she was planted by the two chiefest of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and in respect of the City Rome being consider'd as the †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Cod. Can. Eccl. Vniv. Can. 206. Seat of the Western Empire So farre is this one consideration from shewing favour unto the Papacy that 't is a principal Bulwark set up against it 1. It follow 's unavoidably that the Pope cannot pretend to the granted Primacy from the words of Christ unto St. Peter but onely from the common consent of the Church and so it is not by Divine but Eccclesiastical right 2. It is not granted unto the Pope who may at any time erre as Liberius did but to the pure unerring Roman Church such as Zanchie the Presbyterian doth acknowledge her to have been which when the present Church of Roâ—e shall appear to be by such an impartial Reformation of her Corruptions as may reduce her to her Primitive and purer self we shall be ready to pay her Her Ancient Honour Nor do we gratify her at all as now she is by acknowledging with the Fathers that she was Primitively pure because we are able to demonstrate the several growths of her Corruption The light and evidence of which as it doth justify our deparâ—ure so doth it make us unexcusable if we preposterously return Sect. 22. There is nothing more strange Grot. his design had no influence on our English changes Discuss p. 16. than that from words so innocent as those you cite out of Grotius in your p. 389. you should conclude his Design to have had an influence upon England in the changes which occasion'd our late civil Wars For the Book you cite was the last he wrote and so it was not very far from the final conclusion of all our Wars or suppose it had been a great deal sooner yet I am left to admire at what you are willing to infer Grotius tells us that his Labours for the peace of the Church were not displeasing to many equal impartial men not onely in Paris and all France In Angliâ non pauci placidi pacisque amantes Insanientibus Brownistis quibuscum D.R. quà m Angliae Episcopis convenit c. but in Germany Poland and England too And that the men to whom his pains was pleasing here in England were men of mild Tempers and Lovers of peace Such as to whom he opposeth the raging Brownist better suiting with Mr. Rivet then with the Bishops of England From hence you conclude I wonder why He had Episcopal Factors here in England If you mean Factors to bring in Popery I demand your proof or your repentance if Factors for Peace you have my pardon T is pity so many sheets of paper as you have written and printed on this one Subject should all conclude with nothing better than a confident begging of the Question Yet mark the bottom of the Invention with which you have been so long a brooding There is a party of Prelatists here in England who are Factors for Grotius and so Papists this you know is the scope of all when first it is apparent that Grotius himself was no such thing And secondly the Prelatists are not agreeable to Grotius in that for which he was most suspected to wit his thinking that the Bull of Pius Quintus may for peace be subscrib'd in a commodious sense Wherein as I am not of Grotius his mind I being not able to subscribe it in any sense I can imagin so neither am I of Mr. Baxter's that Grotius for this oâ—inion may be concluded an arrant Papist no I find great reason to conclude the contrary For had he been really a Papist he might have subscribed those Articles without a commodious interpretation And you have no pretense of proof that he ever subscribed them at all He onely spake as an Agitator a studious Contriver of publick peace for which he made propositions but all conditional and shew'd how far he might go to so great an End He had no Church-preferment offer'd to â—im from hence Sect. 23. Whereas you say some tell you that Grotius had Church-preferment here offered him and thought to have accepted it p. 389. you give me occasion to suspect that either you hear amiss what you are told or do ill remember what you hear or imperfectly relate what you remember 1. At best it is but a hear-say and such as if it were true would prove him a Protestant in grain 2. But Grotius was not a Church-man and was a great deal too old to quit his secular imployments for the taking of orders here in England whereby to be capable of Church-preferment 3. All that lookes like truth in it I think is this that the King of England having heard of his incomparable Merits and of his Love to our English Church did determin to offer him if ever the times should prove Peaceable some very honourable condition within this Realm Perhaps the Provostship of Eton might have been suitable to the purpose having been given a little before to some excellent persons of the Laity Sir Henry Savile Mr. Murrey and after that to Sir Henry Wotton Yet this at most was but a purpose which was never advanc'd unto an actuall offer 2. Your conceived objection is not so strange but your answer to it is somewhat stranger For what can you mean by the Church of England of the second Edition then in the Press Dating this as it must be dated about the end of the war a little before the death of Grotius nor long before the death of the King I know not what you will do for any good meaning of your words was the Church of England then Popish or was she not if Popish was she such either in capite or in membris I need not tell you your unhappiness let your answer be what it will You have * Grot. Rel. p. 105.106 freed the King from the suspicion of being a Papist although you make him much inclined to a Reconciliation If she was not then Popish you see how well you have written against your own writings 3. I never heard that St. Clara was the Queen's Ghostly Father Franciscusâ— Sancta had
universal visible Head p. 302. For the Primacy allow'd unto the Pope by the learnedst Adversaries of Popery Melanchthon and Bishop Bramhall Dr. Hammond and Bloâ—del as well as Grotius is not an universal Headship as that signifie's Pastorship but at the most a Patriarchate of the west which does not imply but exclude a Monaâ—chy and is exactly reconcileable with an Aristocratick Government of the Church And even this is but according to the Ancient Canons by which he is qualified if he please to advance the Honour of Christianity but not to hinder or obstruct it Again this Primacy thus allow'd is not so properly the Proposal as the Concession of the Protestants with a proviso that the Pope will require no more And for the buying of Peace I told you long since how great a price is to be paid How it removeth the whole mistake Sect. 27. To conclude the whole subject and to remove the cause of your Mistakes to make it very hard for you to persevere in your impertinence or to make you unexcusable in case you do so I give you warning to distinguish between the New Romish Canons and the * Note that the four Generaâ—l Councils were confirmed in Engl. by Act of Parlament in the first year of Queen Eliz. as Dr. Featly well observed in his Letter to the late Primate Ancient Canons of the universal Church between a Primacy of Order and a Supremacy of Power and not to delude your self any longer by fixing your thoughts upon the one when Grotius and other Protestants do not approve but of the oâ—â—er You profess to approve of the Pacifick design It was Grotius his judgement that the likelyest way to make it take a good effect is to take from the Pope his universal Supremacy over the Church and to make him content himself with a Primacy of Order aâ— that Principium unitatis for the peace of Christendom which Melanchthon King Iames Isaaâ— Casaubon Bishop Bramhall Dr. Hammond David Blondel and all intelligent Protestants have still allow'd him By this meanes the whole Church should have one Common Regiment under Bishops and Metropolâ—tans and Primates and Patriarchs which as it iâ— much cast down if not destroyed by the universall Monarchy of the Pope so it well consists with his Primacy according to the Canons of Generall Councils Upon these precise termes an universal peace might be begun if all Protestants would agree under the Government of Bishops and the Popes descend from their usurpations and all other things might be reformed by the Supreme Magistrates and Bishops in their respective places of jurisdiction Now this being the utmost that Grotius pretend's towards a Peace you are highly injurious whilst you joyne the Grotians and the French Papists in making the Pope to be the ordinary judicial Head p. 380. For the Ancient Canons make him but one although the first of five Patriarchs and allow every Primate to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his own Province as Dr. Hammond hath made apparent in his most satisfactory Treatise concerning Schism which hath been twice or thrice rail'd at but never answer'd * Dr. Hammond of Schisme Chap. 5. Sâ—ct 6. p. 100. Especially from the Canon of the Ephesine Council in the particular cause of the Archbishop of Cyprus over whom the Patriarch of Antioch though he extended his Patriarchate over all the Orient was adjudged to have no manner of Power I hope you see your obligation to make amends for your Calumny in which you cannot persevere without incurring the danger of calumniating others as well as Grotius Ibid. ch â— p. 59. even the ablest Supporters of the Protestant cause For Dr. Hammond hath told us as well as Grotius and sure I am that they were both of the same Religion That if we respect order and primacy of place the Bishop of Rome had it among the Patriarchs as the Patriarchs among the Primates that City of Rome being the Lady of the World and the seat of the Empire Ibid. ch 5. p. 100. Sect. 5. Again speaking of the preeminence of the Roman See heretofore though he denies her any supreme Authoritative power over other Primates yet he allows her a precedence or priority of place in Councils an eminence in respect of Dignity which is perfectly reconcileable with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Independence the no-subordination or subjection of other Primates Thus our Reverend Dr. Hammond whom I am verily perswaded you will not dare to call Papist for fear of derision from your most popular Admirers However you do acknowledge that Bishop Bramhall is a right Protestant and he hath told you very lately * Bishop Bramhall in his Schisme Garded c. p. 4. That the main Controversie nay he thinks he might say the onely necessary Controversie between them and us is about the extent of papal power If the Pope would content himself with his exordium Unitatis which was all that his primitive predecessors had and it is as much as a great part of his Sons will allow him at this day we are not so hard-hearted or uncharitable for such an innocent Title or Office to disturb the peace of the Church Nor do we envy him such a preeminence among Patriarchs as St. Peter had by the confession of his own party among the Apostles †Ibid. p. 24 25 26. Primatus Pâ—tro datur ut una Christi Ecclesia una Cathedra monstratur Cyprian Epist. ad Actonium de Uuiâ—ate Ecclesiae Together with this compare his citation of Bishop Andrews expressing his own sense and the sense of King Iames yea and the sense of the Church of England To which having added the like sense of St. Cyprian he doth thus very briefly conclude his own * p. 26. This primacy neither the Ancients nor â—e do deny to St. Peter of Order of Place of Preeminence If this first Movership would serve his turn this Controversy were at an end for our parts A Câ—njecture passed upon some Lâ—tters Sect. 28. It is not amiss to take notice of the applauding Letters of which you boast p. 393. and to conjecture at their design if there were any such things Some who saw in your Aphorismes and in some other things which you had publish'd more of Truth and Moderation than in other writings of Presbyterians were willing to pardon many things which they saw amiss in you for the love of that Truth of which they found you a Patronizer No doubt but that Charity which hopeth all things did make them hope that more study would daily discover more Truth which for want of good study you had not hitherto discern'd and which as soon as you had learn't might serve to rescue your Inward man from all schismatical and factious wayes In which charitable hope if they were very much mistaken theirs was the error but yours the fault and you alone are accomptable for having so guiltily deceived their expectations
he goes on p. 179. the Church of England is not invisible It is still preserved in Bishops and Presbyters rightly ordained and multitudes rightly baptized none of which have fallen off from their profession 7. To your preposterous Demands then Especially to the Eâ—iscopal whose sufferings have made them the more coâ—formable to the primitive Christians why we separate from you and refuse to go to your Communion the first and shortest Answer is this that we are passively separated because you actively are separatists We by remaining as we were are parted from you and you by your violent departure have made our Difference unavoidable We are divided by necessity and you by choice we from you our Dividers but you from us and between your selves You like Demas having forsaken us and having embraced this present world it is our lot as it was Paul's to be unâ—voidably forsaken It is God's own Method to turn away from his Deserters When the Times are changed by some and others are changed by the Times you must at least excuse if not commend us that we * Prov. 24. â—1 meddle not with those who are given to change For you to go from us and then to chide us for being parted is the greatest injustice to be imagin'd because it requires us to verifie the two Extremes of a contradiction A second Answer I shall give you in better words than mine own even the same which Dr. Hammond once gave the Papists Sâ—e Dr. Hammond of Schism p. 180 181. The Night-meetings of primitive Christians in Dens and Caves are as pertinent to the justifying of our Condition as they can be of any and 't is certain that the forsaking of the Assemblies Heb. 10.25 is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our wiâ—ful fault v. 26. but onely our unhappy Lot who are forced either not to frequent the Assemblies or else to incourage and incur the scandal of seeming to approve the practises of those that have departed from the Church That we do not decline Order or publick communion and consequently are not to be charged for not enjoying those Benefits of it which we vehemently thirst after is evident by the extensive Nature of our persecution the same Tempeâ—t having with us thrown out all Order and Form Bishops and Liturgy together And to that Curstnesse of theirs not to any Obstinateness or Vnreconcileableness of ours which alone were the guilt of non-Communion is all that unhappiness of the constant Sons of the present English Church to be imputed Lâ—y-elders condemned by such as had sworn to assert them Sect. 30. I am glad to find you thinking that unordained Elders wanting power to preach or administer the Sacraments are not Officers in the Church of God's Appointment and that as far as you can understand the greater part if not three parts for one of the English Ministers that we stand at a distance from are of this mind and so far against Lay-Elders as well as we of whom you confess your self one and Mr. Vines another p. 4. But I am not glad to find you excusing what you condemn 'T is true ye all swore when ye took the Covenant to preserve the Discipline and Government in the Church of Scotland and to reforme the Church of England in Discipline and Government according to the example of the best Reformed Churches of which the Scotish was implied to be the chief yea to bring the Churches in the three Kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and Uniformity in Church-government c. Lay-elders in Scotland were pretended to be by Divine right The Platforme of Geneva was highly magnified that I say not blasphemously for the Pattern shew'd in the Mount The Scepter of Christ and Evangelium Regni Dei were noted expressions of their Device But since you have printed your own opinion that therâ— were no such Lay-elders of God's appointment you should rather have recanted your having sworn the Scotish Covenant than have tryed by all means to make the best of so bad a matter Whilst you believe a fourth part of the Presbyterians are directly against the other three in thinking Lay-elders of God's appointment you give us to hope that your Kingdom will never stand And indeed if you will read but the first 5. Chapters of Bishop Bancrofts Survey of the pretended Holy Discipline you will find that no Sect hath been more divided against it self See what is said by Dr. Gauden in his excellenâ— * p. 17. Dendrologia concerning the Pertness and Impertinenâ—y the Arrogancy and Emptiness the Iuvenility and Incompetency the Rusticity and Insolency of some Ruling and Teaching Elders too the disagreement that was found betwixt High-shoes and the Scepter of Church-government especially mark what he †p. 18. saith of the Decoy and Fallacy the Sophistry and Shooing-horn of bringing in Lay-elders by Divine Right and perhaps when you have done you will hardly excuse your own Excuses much less the manner in which you make them for to excuse the Lay-eâ—ders as men not preaching Sect. 31. You say A Calumny cast upon our Preachers to the sole disgrace of the Calumniator In that our Readers are much like them p. 4. And again you speak of our Ignorant Drunken Worldly Readers and Lazy Preachers that once a day would preach against doing too much to be saved p. 16. But 1. that any have so preaâ—hed of the regular Clergy is your ungrounded Intimation for which you are answerable to God They have commonly been accused of having preached for the doing too much to be saved Their earnest pressing for the Necessity of Universal Obedience to the Law of Christ which carries along with it all manner of good works hath very frequently procured them the name of Papists Socinians Pelagians Moralists any thing in the world to express the dislike of your Presbyterians The Antinomians are the chief men who preach against doing too much to be saved and as the Fautors of that Heresie you your self have accused both Mr. Pemble and Dr. Twisse who were not Prelatists but Presbyterians And such were they who applauded The Marrow of modern Divinity which you have sharâ—ly written against for the like dangerous positions Nay you your self are more liable to undergo your own censure than any Prelatist I ever heard of for teaching the people how greaf a wickedness may well coâ—sist with their being Godly Of this I have given so many Examples that I shall adde but one more You put the Question Wâ—ether if men live many years in swearing or the like sin See Disp. of right to Sacram 3. p. 330. it is not a certain sign of ungodliness To which you answer in these words A godly man may long be guilty of them as 't is known some well-reputed for Godliness are in Scotland Reputation doth much with many even that are godly to make sin seem great or small With us now a swearer is reputed so great a sinner that he is
Learning of whiâ—h sort it were easie to name some hundreds were all exposed by the Presbyterians at least as far as in them lay to the utmost extremities of want and beggery without the least Mercy or Moderation Had they been Heapers up of Riches as Presbyterians and Iews are observed generally to be you might have squeez'd them as spunges without much harm And if the men of your party upon the present shifting the scene of things shall be forc'd to feel what they inflicted as some have presaged whilst they were reading your two Dedicatory Epistles wherein you are subscribed a Faithful Subject and wherein you complain of the * Epist. Ded. before Kâ—y for Cath. p 10. Democratical Polititians who were busie about the change of Government they will feel it so much the less by how much the greater the Treasures are which their Avarice and Rapine have raked up for them against their Winter A Vindication of Bâ—shops and D. Hammond's Paraphrase Sect. 36. Your principal Argument against our Bishops by law established in England which you urge from Scripture and Dr. Hammond's Paraphrase from p. 22â—to p. 27. I do the rather think fit for my consideration because I think it not fit at all that so learned a person as Doctor Hammond should ever take it into his own It s pity a Person of his employments should descend to a taske of so little moment And whilst he is doing those things which cannot be done but by himself let me have leave to do that for which your Argument's inability hath made me abâ—e You know the summe of it is this that Preaching Confirming Discipline Care of the poor Visiting the Sick Baptizing Congregating the Assemblies Administring the Sacrament of the Lords Supper guiding the Assemblies Blessing the people Absolving the Penitent and more then these p. 27. are the works of the Antient Episcopall Function But no one man can now performe all these to so many hundreds of Parishes as are in one Dioecess Ergo our Dioecesan Bishop is not the same with the Antient Bishop This being the summe of your chiefest Argument may be enlarged by my consent in the Major Proposition to the utmost pitch of advantage to which your own heart can wish the difficulty improved to wit by urging that the Bishops were at first invested by the Apostles with all manner of Ecclesiasticall both Power and Office And so the Bishop in every Dioecesse being lineally the successor of that numerical Bishop who was ordained by the Apostles is by consequence invested with all this power From whence there flow's another Sequel as unavoidable as the former that not the least part of this Sacred power can be possibly received but from the Bishop 3. All which being granted as very true and my thanks being returned for your service to the truth whilst you resist it for Presbyterian Ordinations are hence evinced to be null I shew you the vanity of your Minor by putting you in mind of a plain distinction per se aut per alium mediatè vel immediatè your meer forgetfullness of which for ignorant of it you could not be made you imagin there was a force where you will speedily acknowledge there can be none For what a Bishop is not able to do by himself he may very well do by the help of others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is nothing more obvious then that when Moses is * Exod. 18.18 22 26. overtask'd he should take in others in partem Curae and yet lose nothing of his Preeminence And even for this very reason had the Bishops all power as well as power to communicate it either in whole or in part that what they could not perform alone they might by Proxy whether by Presbyters Deacons Subdeacons Arch-Deacons Chancellors Officials I will add Church-Wardens and Overseers of the Poor what is done by their Delegates is done by them 4. Now that this was the case in the earliest times of the Church our learned and Reverend Dr. Hammond hath irresistibly * Consulatur Summi viri Disseâ—t 4. p. 210 211. evinced And had you first been well acquainted with his four Latin dissertations you had not stumbled at the light of his English Paraphrase †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Rom. Clemens Romanus would have told you that in the Regions and Cityes where the Apostles had preached and gathered Churches they constituted Bishops to Rule those Churches and likewise Deacons to be subservient to those Bishops Why no Presbyters as yet Epiphanius would have inform'd you out of the oldest Records For whilst there was not saith he so great a * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Epiph. Haer. l. 3. t. 1. multitude of believers as to need the ordaining of any Presbyters between the two above said orders Bishops and Deacons they contented themselves with the Bishop onely who together with his Deacon whom he could not conveniently be without did then abundantly suffice for so small a Diocesse But when believers did so increase in the single Diocesse of a Bishop as that there needed more Pastors and fit men were to be had then they admitted into the Priesthood I do not say into the Prelacy that other sort of Church-Officers whom we now call Presbyters And I conceive that such Presbyters were ordained in Asia by St. Iohn because Ignatius in Trajan's time throughout his Epistles to those Churches of Asia doth distinctly make mention of all three orders If then the Primitive Bishops did thus communicate of his power to Inferiour Pastors and still reserve unto himself the super-intendency over all what should hinder their Successors from doing according to their example And why should any man presume to take any power unto himself but he whom the Bishop hath first ordained unto the office of a Deacon a kind of secundary Presbyter and after that to a Cure of soules which belongs to a Presbyter plenarius and after that too to the Episcopal Office of Ordination 5. Having shew'd you the full agreement betwixt the Ancient and modern Bishoâ—s I hope you see your Inadvertency and acknowledge the vanity of your Argumentation For 1. In the Infancy of the Church * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Epiph. l. 3. t. 1. none were worthy to be made Bishops in diverse places and in such the Apostles did all themselves at least the place remained vacant †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. Ibid. 2. Where need requir'd and worthy persons were to be had in such the Apostles ordained Bishops But 3. Whilst the Churches were so thin as that the Bishops with their Deacons could well discharge the whole work Epiphanius tell 's us expresly and that from the eldest of the Church Histories there was not yet a constitution of single Presbyters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And of this we have the first instance in Iames the Bishop of Ierusalem to whom
Deduction And if the Deduction is irregular why is your dealing the very same to prove your irregular Ordinations exactly regular 4. Come we now from the Form to the matter of your Syllogism Your major is proved from the words of Dr. Hammond that the * See the whole Annotation on Act. 11.30 B. p. 406. to p. 409. Title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture times belonged principally if not onely to Bishops there being no evidence that any of the second Order were then instituted Which words if you observe them do not deny but suppose that as soon as any of the second order were admitted into the Church they were immediately subject unto the First that is to say to the Scripture-Bishops there having been given him in Scripture a twofold power first a power of ordaining inferiour Presbyters next of Governing or Ruling them when so ordained Had you but fairly transcribed the Doctor 's whole Period you must have added to your Citation these following words though soon after even before the writing of Ignatius Epistles there were such instituted in all Churches And had you read unto the end of that excellent Annotation you would have found Epiphanius for Bishop Timothy his power or jurisdiction over Presbyters from 1 Tim. 5.1 19. Where whatever the word Presbyter may be concluded to import whether a single Priest in the common notion of the word Presbyter subjected to the Bishop or a Bishop subjected to the Metropolitan it equally make's against you that Bishop Timothy had power to rebuke and to receive an Accusation against a Presbyter which no meer Presbyter can pretend to have over another This would imply a contradiction to wit that an equall is not an equall because a Ruler and a Judge to the very same person to whom he is an equall The same use is to be made of what is cited from Theophylact concerning Titus * Ibid. to wit that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudgement as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ordination of so many Bishops was committed to him And I pray Sir remember one special Emphasis which evidently lye's on the Doctor 's words Which do not run thus the Title of Presbyters in Scripture times belonged onely to the Bishops but if not onely yet at least Principally to them And therefore however the case might be whether onely or not onely all the course of his arguing will be equally cogent and unresistible 5. Now for your minor that most of your Ordainers are such Pastors you prove it by saying first they are Pastors But this is petitio principii with a witnesse to say they are because they are And 't is a gross transition ab Hypothesi ad Thesin to say they are such Pastors because they are Pastors The word Pastor in our dayes doe's commonly signify a Priest to whom is committed a Cure of Soules And when I have lately so us'd it it hath been onely in complyance with that vulgar Catachresis But in the use of Scripture and antient Writers Pastor signifies him to whom the charge of the Flock is Originally intrusted whereas our English acception of the word Rector which is not the Scriptural or antient stile is wholly extended to a deputed or partiary Government in the Church to wit a Government over part of the Pastors Diocess which Pastor in the old stile hath the plenary charge committed to him Your error therefore was very great in confounding the Pastors with the Rectors of the people unless you spake with the vulgar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and supposing that so you did you spake completely besides the purpose And whereas you say in your Margin Mr. T. P. call's himself Rector of Brington I know not what you can mean by it unless an unkilfull intimation that I arrogate to my self somewhat more then is my due And therefore to undeceive either your self or your Readers I must tell you that in all Records which concern this Church or its Incumbent in all Leases and Compositions and Iudgments of Law in all Directions and Orders which have ever been sent by Supreme Authority the Church hath been stiled the Rectory and the Incumbent the Rector of it You may gather the reason from Mr. Sparrow's Learned Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer The chief Rector oâ— a Parish called the Cardinal Priest of old quia incardinatus in Beneficio was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the rest under him his Clerks Where there were Chantries as there were in most Churches of England their assisting the Rector of the Church made up that Form of speech the Priest and Clerks And Brington being a Parish consisting of five distinct Members hath occasion'd the Rector in all times to be at the charge of an Assistant I have told you what I mean whensoever I write my self Rector of Brington If Mr. Cawdrey hath meant more when he hath written himself as publickly the Rector of Billing I leave him to give you a Reason for it Having done with your Argument and with your persoâ—all reflection I shall observe but one thing more to wit that whilst you say most of your Ordainers are such Pastors as Dr. Hammond spake of in Scripture-times which yet I hope you will retract you imply a confession that some are not Nor can I see by what meanes you will excuse your selves unto your selves for having admitted of such Ordainers As for your second and third sentences in your Sect. 5. p. 199. You have an answer included in what went before and so you will have in that which follows For Sect. 38. In your seventh Chapter Presbyterians are not Bishops by having Deacons under them p. 203. Sect. 18. You again pretend to fetch an Argument from the words of the Reverend Dr. Hammond Your naked affirmation is express'd in these words Where there are no such Presbyters with a President it is yet enough to prove him a Bishop that he hath Deacons under him or but one Deacon Your pretended proof of this assertion is from the words of Doctor H. which now ensue When the Gospel was first preached by the Apostles and but few converted they ordained in every City and Region no more but a Bishop and one or more Deacons to attend him there being at the present so small store out of which to take more and so small need of ordaining more Reduce this proofe into a Syllogisme which may serve your interest in any measure and it will be like your former most dishonourably false For thus you must form it do what you can if you intend to make it in imitation of a proof A primitive Bishop had no more then a Deacon or Deacons to attend him A Presbyter hath no more then a Deacon or Deacons to attend him therefore a Presbyter is a Primitive Bishop Here you see are three affirmatives in the second Figure And by an Argument so form'd I will prove you to be anything either Fish or Fowle
difference betwixt Purity and Puritaâ—ism or betwixt a Preacher and a Divine by so much the more like * 2 Kings 10.31 Ieroboanâ— he hâ—th the miserable priviledge of making Israel to sin and so by a consequence unavoidable the greatest charity to his soul is to make him less scandalous by making him vile in the people's eyes or rather by proving him as vile as he and he onely hath made himself * See his Prâ—f Epâ—st prefixt to his Calvinists Cabinâ—t Unlockt Tilenus Iunior hath said enough to stay the stomach of the scorner and I hope in time he will cast it up In order to which I shall indeavour at my next time of leasure to make him hate his constant Fallacy A rectè conjunctis ad malè divisa in his pleading for sins being meerly privative I can very hardly hold back my hand from setting down more of his assertions concerning the sin of hateing God and shewing the manifold impieties of which his own words do prove him guilty But having already too much exceeded the usuall bounds of a Letter and made a greater excursion than I intended I shall not speak of this subject untill I shall do it ex professo and once for all It appeares by this little thus accidentally spoken of that Mr. Hickman will be apt to except against me for having stuck thus long on so sore a place But what then can I do for the escaping of his contempt The â—â—ter impossibility of escaping his Contâ—mpt wherewith he has threaten'd to entertain me If I shall call him to account for what he hath written of Risibility of the intellect and the will and the subject of inhesion to whatsoever either proper or common accident and shall prove him a man of the greatest ignorance in the things of Logick and Philosophy or the greatest Contemner of God Almighty in writing wilfully and studiously against hâ—s Knowledge of any pretender to Grace or Wit that in all my life I ever heard of and shall manifest that his Trophies are most ridiculously erected where his own Misadventures are most remarkable as if he had purposely intended to make his shame the more signal by mocking himself with an Ovation in being worsted if I say I shall examine him concerning such things as these he will be ready to cry out that these are the parts of his Discourse which I ought not in mercy to meddle with in regard of their being so sick and weak So again if I demonstrate by many more than an hundred conspicuous Instances that he hath affixed his own name and so dishonestly pretended to be the Author of the Wit and Language of other men which any Boy might have done who was but able to write and read and if besides I shall observe how he hath not onely not quoted or acknowledged with thanks but bitterly rayl'd at some persons out of whose writings he hath stolne both words and matter notwithstanding the Authors are still alive to give notice of his robbery and railing too and to pursue the bold Felon with Hue and Cry the man would certainly exclaim at least in the presence of his Abettors that I have stuck like a flie upon very sore places and unmercifully faln upon his sick and weak parts So well is he armed cap a pe by this one Declaration of his Infiâ—mities The sad mark of a desperate Patient And here it is pertinent to deplore the sad estatâ— of this Patient being of kin to that wound which * Ier. 15.18 refuseth to be healed He is conscious to himself of having very sore places and loudly complains to his Physitian that there are sick and weak parts in the body of his Dâ—scourse and yet he preferrs the peccant humour before the pain of being cur'd To all the rest of his maladyes he hath added this also that he is faln in love with his Diseases and hates the means of his recovery D. Prosperi Râ—sp ad Caâ—itul Gallor Ob. 6. p. 320. Prosper gives it as the character of an unregenerate and graceless man Quòd amat languores suos pro sanitate habet quòd aegrotare se nescit donec prima haec medela conferatur aegroto ut incipiat nosse quòd langueat possit opem Medici desiderare quâ surgat We see the condition of him is sad who does not know that he is sick and is not his a great deal sadder who proclaims his sick and sore parts with his utter averseness to have them touch'd I find a Horse with a gall'd back is less difficult in the dressing than such a rigid Presbyterian wiâ—h a gall'd Conscience and a gall'd Cause I did but move towards the former I mean the gall'd Conscience and point at it as with a finger when yet he fell a wincing beyond all measure It s true I rubb'd the later I mean the gall'd Cause and so for his biteing I must not blame him If at last he will stand fair and indure a dressing of the sore places of which he warns me to stand aloof groaning sometimâ—s but never grumbling I shall not scruple to warrant a pâ—rfect cure At least by abstersive and cleansing medicines I shall hope to keep the sore places from putrefaction that they may not infect his over â—asie and catching Readers who may really be in danger of the contagious disease which hath been lately call'd Rantism unless the noysomness and stench of his sorest places shall make them stand at a wholsome distance No remedies too roâ—gh in order to his Recovery I suppose Sir I need not desire your pardon for any Roughness in my expressions though you are pleas'd in much humility to * p. 192. desire my pardon for your own Could I believe you had offended in your austerity to the Scoffer I would not have followed your example in this praevious execution of punitive Iustice. Whatever language you may have given him I can easily justifie to all your Censors that is to all of his incurable Scotized Sect as our Reverend Dr. Sanderson hath very fitly * See his Preface to the last Edition of his first Sermons Sâ—ct 24. p. ult characterized them It s true you call him a †p. 131. man of Brass but do you not prove him to be such by his making you worse than any Tinker when you had never so much as named him in any kind It s true you * p. 132. compare him to the Cuckowe but I know not how you could avoid it when he had taxed you so unmannerly for defiling your own Nest whilst he was laying his Ordures in other mens and also guilty of the rapacity which there you mention It s true you admonish him of his †p. 134 135. Sacriledge but first you prove it and you prove it out of his mouth For when you had but accused him of a lesser Robbery in the Colledge than he committed he scoffed at you for