this is taken from the puritans by samuel hopkins (1860) the public puritan ferment is just beginning in england. queen elizabeth is publicly favoring the church of england birthed not long before when king henry VIII made himself head of the church of england in place of the pope. on paper she was against papists but in actuality was in practice attacking the puritans who at this time the first english presbytery. they were moving away from the church of england.
edward deering was then lady margaret lecturer in the university and was in the habit of plain speaking even to the highest dignitaries, never mincing words to mollify truth when he thought it his duty to speak...in his sermon before the queen, feb. 25, 1569, he had had the boldness to say; 'if you have sometimes said - meaning in the days of her sister mary, as a sheep appointed to be slain, (a reference to romans 8) take heed you hear not now the prophet as an untamed and unruly heifer'.
..he had not violated any law of the land. he had not said anything against the queens supremacy. although 'disaffected to bishops and ceremonies', he was peaceable with regard to both. he had not defamed the book of common prayer; but had kept to it and to the surplice and to the 4 cornered mathematical cap though he liked them not. but the man had been THINKING. instead of dipping stale theology and crude maxims out of dead men's tanks, he had been going to living fountains...he himself had drawn from the Word. there was no act of parliament against this, but there was danger in it - to church and state, to hierarchy and crown. besides, he had 'drawn away many proselytes. therefore it was thought convenient -soon after he came to london - to silence him from preaching his lecture any more'. to effect this, he was charged before the council with thinking, with thinking and telling his thoughts from the pulpit; for he had been heard to say things 'which were interpreted to reflect upon the magistrate and tending to the beach of the peace of the church'. (having been brought up before the council several times)...further process was then instituted against him before the lords of the council, for words alleged to have been uttered by him at a public dinner dec. 11, 1572. he was charged that he had then spoken against godfathers and godmothers; that he had said that the statute of provision for the poor was incompetent and that he could provide for them in 2 ways, - first, by committing them to the rich to be kept and second, by doing away with such things as superfluous plate then upon the table; as though he were for 'a community of goods'. it was further charged against him, that he put off his cap and said, 'now i will prophesy, matthew parker is the last archbishop that ever shall sit in that seat'. (the puritans, among many other things, where stating publicly that there are no ARCHbishops in the ancient church, the pattern of the church for all time)
there were also 20 other articles of inquisition ministered to him in the stare chamber. in these interrogatories, there was not a word about any omission of duty or any overt act; not a word about what he had preached or what he had said in private. they were 20 searching ?s about his secret thoughts; not his thought about the sinfulness of man or salvation by Christ or justification by faith which hath works or heaven or hell...but his thots about the church of england and about the civil authority.
mr. deering was aware that his opinion respecting the lordship or civil magistracy, of bishops - although he had not vaunted it - was 'the main thing that created him enemies'. therefore, to prepare the way for his answer in the star chamber, he largely expressed his views upon this subject in a letter to the lord treasurer burleigh..after premising that in his very heart he had always honored the magistrate, that in his speech he had never disregarded the peace of the church, that even the bishop of london had of late exonerated him of such a pulpit fault and that it had been determined to silence him only lest he should speak offensively, -he frankly and plainly declares -
'i am persuaded that the lordship, or civil government of bishops, is utterly unlawful. after stating a scriptual reason for this opinion, he says. let Him, therefore, that is king of kings have the preeminency of government. let Him whose dominion is the kingdom of heaven have the sword and the sceptre that is not fleshly. let not a vile pope, in the name of Christ, erect a new kingdom which Christ never knew, - a kingdom of this world which in the ministry the gospel hath condemned: which kind of rule hath...mingled together heaven and earth in confusion; so that God's ordinance cannot prevail to deliver the sword into the hand of the magistrate and take the word into the mouth of the minister....the popish prelacy hath shamed the princes and sometimes raised up such rebellions as have cost their kings both crown and life. of these examples, a great many; but i remember not one archbishop or lord bishop, that ever saved a country or brought peace into it...the king's minister or pastor hath his authority equal over king and subject; but the king's pastor must not execute civil punishment against his prince.
therefore the king's pastor can be no civil magistrate...what power, what authority, will you give unto him? will you set him upon a seat of justice, and put a sword in his hand? then bring the prince to plead her cause, - 'guilty' or 'not guilty'? fie upon the pope, that hath so dishonored God and made the glory of his judgment sent to be spotted in the countenance of a faint hearted king! we will be no proctors for such an untimely fruit, that hath made princes bondmen, nobility thraldom and himself a tyrant. let us learn a better lesson from our saviour, Christ...the prince alone is the person in the world to whom God hath committed the seat of justice and they only to execute the duty of it to whom it is committed...
the minister is appointed for another defence, where horsemen and chariots will do no good. they may hinder the minister and make him forget his duty: they cannot profit him in his office and function. he must frame the heart, on which you cannot set a crown and deify the soul, which flesh and blood cannot hurt. he sealeth unto the conscience God's mercies, which are sweeter than life and maketh rich the thoughts with righteousness and peace which shall abide forever. to those that are disobedient, he pronounceth the judgment that maketh the heart afraid; and to the poor in spirit he bringeth comfort which no tongue can express. and to these things, what availeth sword or spear? God asketh but a tongue that is prepared to speak and he ministereth the power that is invisible. and cursed be the times that have bewitched to set up dumb dogs (note: isaiah 56.10f) in so honorable a place.
if this function were supplied with dutiful officers, the sword of the Spirit, which God hath given them, would vanquish satan and destroy the power of darkness, till the knowledge of God were plentiful upon earth and all the joys of heart were sealed unto men in prefect beauty; till the eyes did see great happiness in the face of the heavens and the ear did hear the sweet harmony of the forgiveness of sins; till the meat tasted of that secret manna, of which he would eat forever and his drink were pure, of the water of life which proceedeth out of the throne of God and of the lamb; till his garments did smell of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and in life did shine the life of immortality. but i will not go about to express it in words which the ear cannot hear nor the tongue speak. i beseech the Lord make you feel the pleasure of it within, till all the world be but dung in respect of Christ. for in Him all honor is a glorious blessing; and without Him, but a covering of an after woe. and when it shall fall in the dust, his sight of the sorrow that is behind shall make the man to mourn when it is too late. if you will know this thoroughly and indeed, procure their liberty which will tell you the truth...
but now again to our purpose...as the minister hath nothing to do with the temporal sward, so much less it becometh him to be CALLED a lord. the reason is plain in scripture.
here he urges, pertinently and pungently, the various humble appellatives by which ministers are denominated in the new testament; and also several texts which are direct to his point. he then proceeds -
these scriptures that have been alleged are no vain authorities, that are easily rejected; nor any dark speeches, that are hardly understood. the words are written by the apostles and prophets; and they have the strength of the Spirit of God. they shall sound far and near and accomplish the work for which they were spoken, though all the world were in arms against them. in vain we cry, 'the state! the state!' and 'the commonwealth!' when indeed there is no state nor no commonwealth. for the lordship of a bishop hath ever been a plague sore in the state of a kingdom and is at this day a swelling wound, full of corruption, in the body of a commonwealth...and yet, if the state did require it, the voice of the lord must be obeyed, though all the kingdoms in the earth did fall before it. God is not a man, that we may control His honor. He hath made both heaven and earth; and when He shall appear, all the creatures of the world shall be moved at His presence and the children of men shall throw down their crowns. let us harden our hearts as the adamant stone not to hear His counsel, yet when the force of His word shall knit together again our bones and ashes, that they may arise into eternal life, we shall say then, 'blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord'...
and now, to shut up this long discourse..let us a little remember the honor of our Archbishop, which is Jesus Christ. He was born of a poor woman, in a strange place and received into an inn and put forth into a stable, wrapt in coarse clothes and laid in a maner; persecuted from His swaddling clothes into strange countries, returning home in fear and often hiding himself; brought up in the sweat of His brows and the occupation of His father; mocked with His base parentage and reproached with the name of beggarly nazareth; not one of the nobility known to favor Him , but a poor company which were basely despised. in all His greatest glory He was laughed to scorn; and the title of His kingdom was set upon a cross of shame. and in this estate doth he not say unto His disciples, 'I have appointed you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me?' (luke 22.29 and how can you frame out of this pattern, either pope's monarchy or the bishop's kingdoms; either a triple crown so far above princes or a sumptuous mitre so unmeet for apostles?surely, my lord, this gear it will not stand. it is a plant which our Father in heaven never planted; and it will be rooted out. it is of the pope and it shall drink of the same cup of confusion; of which the pope hath begun unto them. and doubt you not, but it is of the pope. for besides the plainness of the word of God, it is also printed before your eyes, that you might see the truth, though you would not hear it. for where is this lordship in the greatest honor, but where the pope's holiness is set highest? where is it abated, but where the pope's head is broken? and where is it rejected, but where the pope is trodden under feet? it standeth with the pope; it reigneth with the pope; it falleth with the pope; it is shamed with the pope; and is it not of the pope?
but now i have to answer many thoughts which very easily will rise within you. you will muse firest of the state of the primitive church; and think that augustine, ambrose, etc. were al bishops. to this i answer, that if they were, yet men must not prejudice the word of God. true it is they were bishops; but this is as true, they were no lords, neither agreed with our bishope almost in anything, save only names.
1. the bishops and ministers then were one in degree; now they are divers.
2. there were many bishops in one town. now theree is but one in a whole country.
3. no bishop's authority was more than in one city. now it is in many shires.
4. the bishops then used no bodily punishments. now they imprison, fine, etc.
5. those bishops could not excommunicate or absolve, of their own authority; now they may.
6. then, without consent, they could make no ministers. now they do.
7. they could confirm no children in other parishes. they do now in many shires.
8. then they had no living of the church, but only in one congregation. now they have.
9. then they had neither officials under them, nor commissioners, nor chancellors.
10. then they dealt in no civil government, by any established authority.
11. then they had no right in alienating any parsonage, to give it in lease.
12. then they had the church where they served the cure, even as those whom we call now parish priests, although they were metropolitans or archbishops.
these diversities they are very great; and if your honor doubt in any of them, when it shall please your honor, we will refuse no conference with whom you will...
if you will object against us the bishops of our time, we may answer of them favorably, as before. we know their doings. and our hope is of them, as of members of the church. we love them as brethren and honor them as elders. and the Lord grant that we have no cause to call back this praise and dare not give it them. but this i must needs say, and freely confess, if i were in one of their places, i should no have been so soon persuaded. we are all men and born in sin. if one speak against our belly, it hath no ears; or against our back, it hath no eyes. so that we will hardly see or hear a truth. but if the consent of men of our times may help the cause, then i trust it shall help us that all reformed churches are of our side; and not one of them is governed by a lord bishop...you see how bold i have been with your honor; and i am not ignorant what portion of my life i have committed into your hands. but i have done no more than i would have done to her majesty herself, if such occasion had been. for i cannot be persuaded to conceal any truth from such a magistrate as feareth God, and hath advanced His gospel...
and i beseech God, in these grievous times, to make me content with a good conscience; and enrich you honor with such grace, that when you shall think upon Him in your bed and remember Him in your night watches, you may remember the nights of the prophet david and feel His joy, that is , the God of glory. amen your honor's bounden in the Lord Jesu, even as His own, edward deering
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