Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

XXXVI.

offices that are in the book. Bishop Bonner set on foot a ᎪᎡᎢ. nicety, that since the book of Ordinations was by name condemned in queen Mary's time, and was not by name received in queen Elizabeth's time, that therefore it was still condemned by law, and that by consequence ordinations performed according to this book were not legal. But it is visible, that whatsoever might be made out of this, according to the niceties of our law, it has no relation to the validity of ordinations, as they are sacred performances, but only as they are legal actions, with relation to our constitution. Therefore a declaration was made in a subsequent parliament, that the book of Ordination was considered as a part of the Book of Common-Prayer: and, to clear all scruples or disputes that might arise upon that matter, they by a retrospect declared them to be good; and from that retrospect in the act of parliament the like clause was put in the Article.

The chief exception that can be made to the form of giving orders amongst us, is to those words, Receive ye the Holy Ghost;' which as it is no ancient form, it not being above five hundred years old, so it is taken from words of our Saviour's, that the church in her best times thought were not to be applied to this. It was proper to him to use them, who had the fulness of the Spirit' to give it at pleasure: he made use of it in constituting his apostles the governors of his church in his own stead; and therefore it seems to have a sound in it that is too bold and assuming, as if we could convey the Holy Ghost. To this it is to be answered, that the churches both in the east and west have so often changed the forms of ordination, that our church may well claim the same power of appointing new forms, that others have done. And since the several functions and administrations that are in the church are by the apostle said to flow from one and the same Spirit,' all of them from the apostles down to the pastors and teachers, we may then reckon that the Holy Ghost, though in a much lower degree, is given to those who are inwardly moved of God to undertake that holy office. So that though that extraordinary effusion that was poured out upon the apostles, was in them in a much higher degree, and was accompanied with most amazing characters; yet still such as do sincerely offer themselves up, on a divine motion, to this service, receive a lower portion of this Spirit. That being laid down, these words, Receive the Holy Ghost,' may be understood to be of the nature of a wish and prayer; as if it were said, 'May thou receive the Holy Ghost; and so it will better agree with what follows, And be thou a faithful dispenser of the word and sacraments.' Or it may be observed, that in those sacred missions the church and churchmen consider themselves as acting in the name and person of Christ. In baptism it is expressly said, 'I baptize in the name of the Father,' &c. In the eucharist we repeat the words of Christ,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ART. and apply them to the elements, as said by him. So we conXXXVI. sider such as deserve to be admitted to those holy functions,

as persons called and sent of God; and therefore the church in the name of Christ sends them; and because he gives a portion of his Spirit to those whom he sends, therefore the church in his name says, 'Receive the Holy Ghost.' And in this sense, and with this respect, the use of these words may be well justified.

ART. XXXVII.

ARTICLE XXXVII.

Of Civil Magistrates.

The Queen's Majesty hath the chief Power in this Realm of Eng-
land, and other her Dominions, under whom the chief Gobern-
ment of all Estates of this Realm, whether they be Ecclesiastical
or Civil, in all Causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to
be, subject to any Foreign Jurisdiction.
Where we attribute to the Queen's Majesty the chief Government,
by which Titles we understand the Minds of some slanderous
Folks to be offended: We give not to our Princes the ministering
either of God's Word or of the Sacraments; the which thing the
Enjunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do most
plainly testify; but that only Prerogative which we see to have
been given always to all godly Princes in Holy Scriptures by
God himself, that is, That they should rule all Estates and De-
grees committed to their charge by God, whether they be Eccle-
siastical or Temporal, and restrain with the Civil Sword the
stubborn and evil-doers.

The Bishop of Rome hath no Jurisdiction in this Realm of Eng-
land.

The Laws of the Realm may punish Christian Men with Death for heinous and grievous Offences.

It is lawful for Christian Men, at the Commandment of the Magistrate, to wear weapons, and serbe in the Wars.

THIS Article was much shorter as it was published in king Edward's time, and did run thus: The king of England is supreme head in earth, next under Christ, of the church of England and Ireland. Then followed the paragraph against the pope's jurisdiction, worded as it is now: to which these words were subjoined, The civil magistrate is ordained and allowed of God; wherefore we must obey him, not only for fear of punishment, but also for conscience sake. In queen Elizabeth's time it was thought fitting to take away those prejudices that the papists were generally infusing into the minds of the people against the term head; which seemed to be the more incongruous, because a woman did then reign; therefore that was left out, and instead of it the words chief power and chief government were made use of, which do signify the same thing.

The queen did also by her Injunctions offer an explanation of this matter; for whereas it was given out by those who had complied with every thing that had been done both in her father's and in her brother's time, but that resolved now

XXXVII.

ART to set themselves in opposition to her, that she was assuming a much greater authority than they had pretended to: she upon that ordered that explanation which is referred to in the Article, and is in these words: "For certainly her majesty neither doth nor ever will challenge any authority, other than that was challenged and lately used by the said noble kings of famous memory, king Henry the Eighth, and king Edward the Sixth, which is and was of ancient time due to the imperial crown of this realm; that is, under God to have the sovereignty and rule over all manner of persons born within these her realms, dominions, and countries, of what estate, either ecclesiastical or temporal, soever they be: so as no other foreign power shall or ought to have any superiority over them. And if any person that hath conceived any other sense of the said oath, shall accept the same oath with this interpretation, sense, or meaning, her majesty is well pleased to accept every such in that behalf, as her good and obedient subjects; and shall acquit them of all manner of penalties, contained in the said act, against such as shall peremptorily and obstinately refuse to take the same oath.'

Thus this matter is opened, as it is both in the Article and in the Injunctions. In order to the treating regularly of this Article, it is, first, to be proved that the pope hath no jurisdiction in these kingdoms. 2dly, That our kings or queens have it. And, 3dly, The nature and measures of this power and government are to be stated.

As for the pope's authority, though it is now connected with infallibility, yet it was pretended to, and was advanced for many ages before infallibility was so much as thought on. Nor was the doctrine of their infallibility ever so universally received and submitted to in these western parts as was that of their universal jurisdiction. They were in possession of it: appeals were made to them: they sent legates and bulls every where they granted exemptions from the ordinary jurisdiction; and took bishops bound to them by oaths, that were penned in the form of oaths of fealty or homage. This was the first point that our reformers did begin with, both here and every where else; that so they might remove that which was an insuperable obstruction, till it was first taken out of the way, to every step that could be made toward a reformation. They laid down therefore this for their foundation, that all bishops were by their office and character equal; and that every one of them had the same authority that any other had over that flock which was committed to his care: and therefore they said, that the bishops of Rome had no authority, according to the constitution in which the churches were settled by the apostles, but over the city of Rome: and that any further jurisdiction that any ancient popes might have had, did arise from the dignity of the city, and the customs and

Luke xxii.

Acts xv. 7,

laws of the empire.* As for their deriving that authority from ART St. Peter, it is very plain that the apostles were all made XXXVII. equal to him; and that they never understood our Saviour's words to him, as importing any authority that was given to him over the rest; since they continued to the last, while our Saviour was among them, 'disputing which of them should be Mark ix. the greatest.' The proposition that the mother of James and 33, 35. John made, in which it is evident that they likewise con- 24, 27. curred with her, shews that they did not apprehend that Matt. xx. Christ had made any declaration in favour of St. Peter, as by 21, 24, 26. our Saviour's answer it appears that he had not done; otherwise he would have referred them to what he had already said upon that occasion. By the whole history of the Acts of the Apostles, it appears that the apostles acted and consulted in common, without considering St. Peter as having any superiority over them. He was called to give an account of his baptizing Cornelius; and he delivered his opinion in the Acts xi. 2, council of Jerusalem, without any strain of authority over the 3. rest. St. Paul does expressly deny, that the other apostles 14,19. had any superiority or jurisdiction over him; and he says in Gal. ii. 7, plain words, that he was the apostle of the uncircumcision, 8, 11. as St. Peter was the apostle of the circumcision;' and in that does rather claim an advantage over him; since his was certainly the much wider province. He withstood St. Peter to his face, when he thought that he deserved to be blamed; and he speaks of his own line and share, as being subordinate in it to none and by his saying, that he did not stretch 2 Cor. x. himself beyond his own measure, he plainly insinuates, that 14. within his own province he was only accountable to Him that had called and sent him. This was also the sense of the primitive church, that all bishops were brethren, colleagues, and fellow-bishops: and though the dignity of that city, which was the head of the empire, and the opinion of that church's being founded by St. Peter and St. Paul, created a great respect to the bishops of that see, which was supported and increased by the eminent worth, as well as the frequent martyrdoms, of their bishops; yet St. Cyprian in his time, as he was against the suffering of any causes to be carried in the way of a complaint for redress to Rome, so he does in plain words say, that all the apostles were equal in power; and that all bishops De Unit. were also equal; since the whole office and episcopate was Eccles. one entire thing, of which every bishop had a complete and equal share. It is true, he speaks of the unity of the Roman church, and of the union of other churches with it; but those words were occasioned by a schism that Novatian had made then at Rome; he being elected in opposition to the rightful bishop: so that St. Cyprian does not insinuate any thing concerning an authority of the see of Rome over other sees, but

The reader ought to study Barrow's Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy,' in which that great writer has exhausted this subject.[ ED.]

« PoprzedniaDalej »