Unparalleled Reasons for Abolishing Episcopacy
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A85279.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
Vnparallel'd REASONS for abollishing Episcopacy.
- 1. It will assure his Majesty's authority Royal.
- 2. Increase his Revenue.
- 3. Settle a good union in his Majesty's own Kingdoms, and between them and other reformed Churches.
- 4. Cause a good understanding between his Majesty and his people.
By N. F. Esquire.
Printed at London for S. S. dwelling in Budge-row, at the sign of the black Bull. 1642.
Vnparallel'd Reasons for abolishing of Episcopacy.
1 It will assure his Majesty's Royal Authority.
THe Bishops have, and do claim their power as of divine right, intitling themselves to their several dignities by the permission or Grace of God; and their authority accordingly: delegating it to others to execute under them in their own rights, in their names and under their Seals, terming the Clergy under them their subjects, and exacting an Oath of obedience from them.
It is very prejudicial to sovereign power that such a claim should be set up or upheld, because it not only introduceth a right superior to all Civil power, so that it neither may be limited, nor can be controled by it, but also enforceth by consequence the acknowledgement of Forraigne power, for the limits of Civil Jurisdiction, being not of force to set bounds unto Divine Right; a Bishop shall by divine right have authority within the Dominions of a prince to whom he is no subject, in case his Diocese shall extend into the territories of several sufferages, which it may do as well as the pretended Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome doth.
2 It may be very dangerous to Sovereign power, and the whole Civil State, that the Clergy should in-body it self within it self by which means it may be drawn into a faction against it, for being united into a body it is made able to be a strong faction, and being so is liable by practice to be drawn against the State. The more united this Body is, and the greater dependence it hath by subordinate Officers, upon someone or few heads, the more dangerous it is; because more exposed to parties, and more capable to act or to be acted, and to put anything into execution, speedily, secretly and unanimously.
By means of this Corporation of the Clergy with their dependence upon a few Bishops, and of them upon one Arch-Bishop, the Pope ruling the whole body of the Clergy within this Kingdom at his pleasure, raised constantly a potent Faction against the Kings of this Realm.
Since the Reformation though Bishops have been knocked off from the Pope, yet were they never jointed into the King and his Authority, to derive and exercise power under him, but remain in all things as before, and so are ready upon any occasion to be coupled again to their old head, or to any other which they shall make amongst themselves when time shall serve, & the time will serve for such a purpose, when by his Majesty's power they shall have totally suppressed the party opposite unto them, whereof they stand in fear, for they will then reduce the Clergy unto an absolute blind obedience unto them again, and by them the people, and by both the Prince as formerly they have done.
3. Such a Faction cannot be safe for the King, for if they be used against him, they are as dangerous as they are potent, and if they be used by him it is worse, by reason it will continually keep up great jealousies and mis-understandings between him and his people.
Besides, to make the prince which should be the head of the whole, to be the head of a Faction is a demunition tending to destruction, the next step below it tending to make him head of nothing, in case the party whereon he doth rely, either fail him, 〈◊〉 betray him, and that Faction that one while may seem to serve 〈◊〉 , another while upon the turn of times, and change of circumstances may be used as powerfully against him.
4. The two opposite parties the Bishops and those that are against them, are now so exasperated and pointed one against the the other, that either the one or the other must fall and be suppressed, if the Bishops supported by his Majesty shall prevail, and suppress totally the other party, his Majesty will be wholly in their hands again as his Predecessors have been, for they will be able to rule absolutely the Clergy, and the people, and then it was not their use to be ruled by their Prince, if the other side prevail against the Bishops (as possibly they may have to deal with a party long since rejected by other reformed Churches, and lately so blasted in both the Kingdoms of England and Scotland) then will his Majesty run the hazard that they do, which support a tottering wall.
5. It will increase his Majesty's revenues. The temporalities of the Bishops being in this bill granted to the King, there will be an augmentation of his revenues, by the constant rent of them, and besides by fines upon leases and otherwise there will be opportunities and mean • for his Majesty to gratify his servants, that will be now disappointed of monopolies and projects. And that his Majesty may take these lands thus given without scruple, is clear by these considerations following. As times termed that the Clergy in the constitution they now are in under Bishops, have been a potent faction against the liberties of the Subject, and the purity and power of Religion, the abolishing of Episcopacy must needs give them a great ground of assurance in those respects.
As to civil rights and liberties, because men of all ranks have suffered in their person and estates by the power of this faction. Those of the better sort have felt their sharp teeth, and their ill will to the Subjects liberties in the house of Peers, Star-chamber, Counsel Table and the high Commission. Those of inferior ranks have felt the sting of their tayls in their Eclesiasticall courts, wherein by their under Officers, they have pilled and polled the poor people at their pleasure, and laid upon them a burden heavier then ever ship money was unto them.
Neither can they believe that these have been the personal faults only of some few men, seeing it hath been so general to the whole tribe, and so constant at all times, not this time excepted that they have lien under such a cloud, and yet have been as ready to do or suffer anything, which might be to the prejudice of the Subject as heretofore.
Lastly, they find that their aims, interests, and dependencies are such, as that they will always do the like, and that both the fearn and exercise of their government, being altogether diverse from, and disproportionable unto that of the civil state, they are obliged thereby to run counter to it.
As to Religion because the jealousies of an alteration intended therein arising from the introduction of divers popish innovations and ceremonies, and the suppressing of preaching, it is evident that the Bishops and their adherents, have been the author thereof. And consequently;
1 There can be no means so potent to assure men's minds that there is no intention of returning to popery, as the abolishing of Episcopacy, whereby we shall receive further from popery, than ever we did since the reformation, as by the late innovations we were drawn nearer to it, then ever we were since the reformation. Those that think this to be a running too far to the other extreme, should also consider, admitting it were so, yet being a thing indifferent, and fearful to be done, whether it be not necessary, at least expedient to do it at this time, for the satisfaction of men's minds, that have been possessed with so great and so just a jealousy in respect of the latter declining so far to the other extreme.
2. Multitudes cannot think themselves secure from popery and popish innovations so long as Episcopacy continueth, because conceive, that as Episcopacy and Popery were hatched and grew up to their height together, so that they are bottomed upon the same grounds and principles, there being the same reason for an Archbishop, and so for a Patriarch, and a pope, to keep Bishops from Schisms and factions as that there should be a Bishop over other Presbyters, to keep them from schisms, and generally throughout, that the same reasons which serve to maintain the one, serve proportionably to maintain the other, and that the same effects that follow upon the one, will also proportionably follow upon the other, and withal they observe that there hath not been the like show and fear of defection unto popery in any reformed Church, as in this, where Bishops are retained, and that it hath proceeded also from the Bishops and their adherents.
3. Multitudes cannot think themselves secure from alteration in religion, till they are assured of the preaching of God's Word, whereby men's minds may be instructed, and established in the truth. They cannot be assured of the enjoying of preaching so long as Bishops continue, for they have found to be the violent suppressors thereof.
The Bishops will always suppress diligent preachers which carry away the reputation from them, may in time also carry away their reward and share their Bishoprics among them; and for the same reason they will always favor dumb priests, that preach as little as themselves▪ because they neither eclipse their honor, nor endanger their profits.
The Bishops neither can nor will be diligent preachers themselves, so long as besides their Ministerial functions they have a whole Diocese to rule, and cumber themselves with places of civil Jurisdiction besides, and they much accompanied with great temporal dignities and revenues: multitude and diversity of employments make them unable, and the height of temporal honor • , excess • of w • rldly wealth, make them too stately, and too idle to discharge their Ministerial functions as they ought, so that they must leave their sweetness and their fatness, if with the bramble they will reign over the trees.
Upon the whole ma • ter the questi • n is, whether the appointing of a certain number of Lay-men, by his Majesty and his Parliament to exercise all Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction under them, and by their authority instead of Arch-bishops and Bishops, appointing a certain number of Laymen to exercise it under them by their authority, in their names and under their seals, and whether 5 or more of their learned Divines appointed by authority of Parliament to ordain Ministers instead of one man (when his Majesty gives the title of a Bishop) appointed to do it by act of Parliament together with 4 or more other Ministers, be an alteration of that consequence, as to be put in balance with the safeguard of his Majesty's royal authority, the increase of his revenue, the unity of his Majesty's Kingdoms in and between themselves, and with other reformed Churches, and the settling of a good understanding between the King & his people by securing unto them their Religion and Liberties.