The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)Gillespie, George
Religion
The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)
Gillespie, George
Church of Scotland -- History; Gillespie, George, 1613-1648
3. Why holdeth he that things external in the worship of God are not _vera
spiritualia_? For if they be ecclesiastical and sacred ceremonies (not
fleshly and worldly), why will he not also acknowledge them for true
spiritual things? And if they be not _vera spiritualia_, why calls he them
_res spirituales_? for are not _res_ and _verum_ reciprocal as well as
_ens_ and _verum_.
4. Even as a prince in his sea voyage is supreme governor of all which are
in the ship with him, and, by consequence, of the governor who directs her
course, yet doth he not govern the actions of governing or directing the
course of a ship, so, though a prince be the only supreme governor of all
his dominions, and, by consequence, of ecclesiastical persons in his
dominions, yet he cannot be said to govern all their ecclesiastical
actions and causes. And as the governor of a ship acknowledgeth his prince
for his only supreme governor even then whilst he is governing and
directing the course of the ship (otherwise whilst he is governing her
course he should not be his prince’s subject), yet he doth not thereby
acknowledge that his prince governeth his action of directing the course
of the ship (for then should the prince be the pilot); so when one hath
acknowledged the prince to be the only supreme governor upon earth of all
ecclesiastical persons in his dominions, even whilst they are ordering and
determining ecclesiastical causes, yet he hath not thereby acknowledged
that the prince governeth the ecclesiastical causes. Wherefore, whilst the
Bishop(922) taketh the English oath of supremacy to acknowledge the same
which he teacheth touching the prince’s power, he giveth it another sense
than the words of it can bear; for it saith not that the king’s majesty is
the only supreme governor of all his Highness’s dominions, and _of_ all
things and causes therein, as well ecclesiastical or spiritual as
temporal,—but it saith that he is the only supreme governor of all his
Highness’s dominions in all things or causes, &c. Now, the spiritual
guides of the church, substituted by Christ as deputies in his stead, who
is the most supreme Governor of his own church, and on whose shoulder the
government resteth, Isa. ix. 6, as his royal prerogative, even then,
whilst they are governing and putting order to ecclesiastical or spiritual
causes, they acknowledge their prince to be their only supreme governor
upon earth, yet hereby they imply not that he governeth their governing of
ecclesiastical causes, as hath been shown by that simile of governing a
ship.
_Sect._ 4. 5. Whereas the Bishop leaveth all things external, which
pertain to the worship of God, to be governed by princes, I object, that
the version of the holy Scripture out of Hebrew and Greek into the vulgar
tongue is an external thing, belonging to the worship of God, yet it
cannot be governed by a prince who is not learned in the original tongues.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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