Vickery House, 69, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault on males - with one as young as 14 - in the 1970s and 80s.
At the time he had been working as a vicar in Berwick, East Sussex, under Bishop Peter Ball, who is serving a jail term for sex attacks.
Three of House's victims were also abused by Ball around the time they took part in a Church of England scheme called Give A Year For Christ which was run by the clergymen.
The Old Bailey heard how an accusations was made against House to Devon police in 2001 - but for "unknown" reasons, officers failed to act.
The pair were finally arrested in 2012 when police reopened the inquiry into their activities following a Church review.
David Greenwood, of Switalskis Solicitors, who represents some of their victims, welcomed House's sentence today, but said: "I am concerned that the church and its allies have allowed Vickery House and former bishop Peter Ball to escape justice for almost two decades.
"The whole affair demonstrates how high ranking officials have used their power and positions to protect their own.
"The church should no longer be allowed to police itself. The Government are failing the current generation of children by delaying a new law on mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse."
Sentencing, Judge Christine Henson QC told House that he had acted in complete disregard for his victims "in pursuit of your own gratification".
She told him: "You should have epitomised all that was good, honest and moral about society. Instead that was the opposite of how you treated your victims."
The judge said that he had done good in his life but all that had been "tainted by the bad things you have done".
The delay in the first abuse coming to trial "allowed you to continue abusing your position within the church and indecently assaulting those under your spiritual leadership during that period", she added.
Jurors heard how House's abuse dated back to 1970, when he twice indecently assaulted a 14-year-old boy who had fallen under his thrall in Crediton, Devon.
On his arrest in 2012, House denied doing any of the things he was accused of, saying he was "flabbergasted and confused".
But in his defence, American-born House admitted harbouring repressed gay feelings despite being happily married to his childhood sweetheart for 47 years and having two grown up children.
The jury in House's trial was not told about his links to Ball, who was referred to in court as a senior clergyman.
It has now emerged that Bishop Peter knew about his Give a Year for Christ deputy's behaviour towards young men as early as 1984, when he wrote a letter of apology to one of them.
It said he was "devastated to hear about the affair you were subjected to with Vick".
"I am sad beyond words and only wish that I had known sooner. All I can do is apologise so sincerely and deeply as I know how, and for that, though I know you feel that I am responsible, I have taken steps which I pray will ensure that nothing like it happens again.
"Please also accept me into your forgiveness, if you can!
"I do hope that all goes well with you. It would be great to see you again, but I doubt if you would want that."
On the letter, Detective Inspector Jez Prior of Sussex Police said: "During the trial the court heard about a letter written by a senior member of the clergy to a young man in April 1984, expressing concern about 'the affair you were subjected to with Vick'. Now that the trial has finished we can confirm that the senior clergy member was Bishop Peter Ball.
"The letter was handed to us, by the person who received it in 1984, when he contacted us in 2012 having seen publicity about our investigation.
"This letter featured in one of the indictments of indecent assault over which House was found not guilty. The person who received the letter from Ball is content for it to be made public.
"We have no other evidence to show that Ball knew what House was doing but the clear inference from the letter is that he at least knew that something allegedly inappropriate had happened involving that young man and House. There is nothing to show that Ball took any other action about the matter."
