And might they receive fuch titles from an inferiour person, what valid reafon can be given, why their Succeffors may not receive the like, by the Authority of the Civil Magiftrate, efpecially fince they receive them for a Civil and most importantly neceffary end, which is unremovable, while Paftors enjoy any titles to temporal poffeffions, or while their flocks have any defire tofwallow, or devour them. The not diftin guishing betwixt these two feveral capacities in Church-officers, hath nurft the cavil againft our Bifhops titles; not that they were never feparated until now, for they are diftin&t in their natures,nor that the Bifhops were nct careful to maintain them diftinct in their adminiftrations for when did any Bifhop derive, or challenge his power to preach, ordain, confirm or cenfure ecclefiaftically as a Lord of Parliament, or when did he derive his Civil honours from the Epifcopal Inftitution. His relation to the Church and confecration by former Bishops, made him a Bifhop, but his Princes favour, and his intereft in the Kingdom made him (as every other) Lord. Neither ought he to be fent to his Bible, to prove his Title, which he (as all oflike dignity) holdeth by his Princes munificence, and the Law of the Land. Befides as Lord Bifhop, e hath not more power de in the Church, nor would he have lefs then if he were not a Lord, because he holds his Bishoprick, and his Lordship by a different tenure, the one under King Chrift, the other under his lawful Sovereign. He may be as others are a Lord, and not a Brihop, and he may be a Bifhop and not a Lord, only a Bifhop henuft be, if he lawfully do Epifcopal works: A Lord he may be, if his Prince allow him that Title. Furthermore, let it be well obferved, this diftinction is not only fitted to fecure the honour of Bishops, but 'tis neceffary to be continued for the indemnifying of the Civil Intereft of the meanest Minifter; for otherwife if any Honours, Manours, or Lands defcend to a Minifter after he hath received holy orders (as who can with any modelty deny that many Minifters fprout from hcnonrable, or worthipful stocks he ought not to own them,but fuffer them to fall into the Kings hands, or Efcheat unto the Lord Paramount, or come to the next heir, left by reafon of thofe Honours, Mannors, or Lands, he rranfgrefs the rule of Chrift in the objection, by becomming a Baron, Lord, or Landlord, and fo exercife Jurisdiction and authority over his fellow Subjects, Suiters, or Tenants. And finally the London Presbyters when they found their ordination by Lord Bishops

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to be objected by the Independent, or Browniftical faction, as rendring their Miniftry invalid, or at leaft their prefent ftanding Antichriftian. They are neceffitated to keep at the fame guard to maintain their own order, as the Bishops do to preferve their honour. And give it the world under their hands, that The Lordly titles of the Bishops were meer civil additaments annexed to their Bishopricks by Kingly favour, not effential ingredients to their office. Thus they. But I remember I am not to write a hiftory of former times, or to give a reason of other mens actions, but of mine own. A controverfie there is as the Jus divin. world knows betwixt us (for I must acknowledge, and do here2 par. pag.24 by profefs my felf to be Epifcopal) my defire is, and I hope it is alfo yours, that it may be ended; you pretend a divine right for your difcipline, the Bifhops do the fame for theirs. What way is there to compofe the difference? but either with the Socinian to cut the knot and deny all divine right, or fairly to unty it; by declaring whofe the Divine right is; both of you cannot have it, neceffary therefore it is to fettle it with one; leaft while we fight, & deftroy one another for the fhadow,we loofe the fubftance. Our late hazard whereof, I hope you have both feen & lamented. This difcourfe hath no other errand,then to prefent Chrifts Inftitution to you both, and fhew you the firft formed Church, whereunto all fucceeding Churches ought to conform. I have failed directly up to to the Fountain head, not lay at Anchor, and rid in the Channel of after practife; If there the water flow fweet and calm, do not trouble or feek to draw them into a new courfe, who ever digged it; what is firft is trueft, if what you have oppofed come up nigheft to the prime verity, do not kick againft the pricks, or fight any longer againft God, or it.

How Mahumetanifme, and Papal tyranny at 'firft invaded the Church, needs no declaration, but leaft they, or a worse mi chiefat laft overfpread thofe Kingdoms, let me befeech you in the bowels of our dear Lord, to beware of dividing novelties, and to walk close by the footsteps of the ancient Shepheards, and obferve their tracks; Schifm of all forms is the foreft, and beats fiercest againft the Ark of the Church, oh get a fafe harbour fo foon as you can, for if it blufter and rage till their ftrength is over, Poor weather-beaten fouls will run a thore any where. Remember the fhipwracks in Julian the Apoftates daye, or if you pleafe look but upon our own coafts for thefe Jaft twenty years. I would not reproach you, fufer me in

faithfulness

faithfulness to your fouls, and to the Churches peace, to mind you what brambles have grown under your fhadows, out of which have come fire to deftroy the Cedars of your Libanon ; doth not Independentisme Anabaptifme, &c. call you father? though as if they were by-blows,you are afhamed to own them for your children. Do they not plead your Principles, use your engines againft Epifcopacy, to batter your difcipline? And fay nothing but your tithes,and fecular advantages, with hold you from walking up a breft with them, unto your firft and moft righteous pretenfions you account it a dart through the liver of Epifcopacy, that whereas St. Jerome faith it was ecclefiaftically inftituted in remedy of Schifm and divifion, contrari

wifgit hath not repressed, but encreased them. And consequently its you say)

a Cretenfis,

againit A. S.

b Retortion

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guments.
c Uniformi-

is not of Divine Institution; But were his opinion, and your inference true (as they are both most false) how strongly doth this battering Ram recoyl against your difcipline? View it but and defence of the Apology fince it was, or aimed to be Paramount in the Church of England. What innumerable Sects have iffited from it? Where was dependentisme, Anabaptifme, Socinianifmes Fami- of the Smelifme, Ranting, Seeking, Quaking, till you opened the bottomless pit of Schifm, and let forth thofe Locufts? you would have your party to efteem your earneftiels against Epifcopacy, to ty examined be an effect of Gods raifing your fpirits, & perfwade tractable & &c. preingaged perfons, that fuch ftrict men as you are, cannot be dUniformi acted by a finful impulfe; whereas many,if not most of the heads tics deformity e All his latof the forenamed Sectaries, are equally as blameless in their ter fcriblings. lives, and as bitter in their words against your Difcipline, as you are fevere in your lives, or fharp in your tongues against a Reafons Epifcopacy: Did the wrath of man work, or infallibly exprels Presbyterian the righteoufnefs of God, how finful will your caufe be found? government, For what fcoff, taunt, reproach, did you at any time caft up- pag. 4. S. iî on Epifcopacy, which thefe Phanaticks have not retorted upon not upon s "your Di.cipline, with advantage of greater rage and bitter- groun. pag. nefs, if it be pollible? Who fees not the fpirits of Penry, and 24 It brings Barrow revived in (a) John Goodwin! (b) Sa'tmarsh, (c) Dell, &c, pag. 23. and your deny-martyrs (d) Burton and John Lilburn Is nit S. now it is every Independent, and Anabaptift confeffion of their faith fo many granted, feveral admonitions to you? Did not your diffenting brethren cen- painft fuborfure your godly difcipline in the Affembly (a) of times for worle then dination of Epifcopal, and fometimes for morfe then (b) Papal; fo certain and standing Svundeniable a truth it is, that thofe who fpurn againft the nods S. it is right will fubmit to no other, but their own wrong way. proved from what the PresC 2 Do byterian.

against the

Do you fay this was not the fault of your Difcipline, but of factions, ungodly, and unruly men, and although poor you, have fate befide the faddle in England, yet your, brethren ride in ftate in other places..

Ref. This triple cord hath no ftrength, a fmall twitch will break itafunder, the blamelefness of the rule is equally pleas ded by Epifcopacy, confirmed by a Divine right, and uninterrupted Ecclefiaftical practise for above 1600 years, whereas you have no Divine right for your new coined government, and the right you have hardly exceeds the age of one man. All which time it hath inceffantly been oppofed by the contrary -practife of all other Churches: All which I doubt not to prove by the prefent Treatife, and that which shall shortly fol -low it (if God will) concerning the Apostles. But your oppofites were factious, good words brethren; clear your felves ere you charge others, Epifcopal men will hear you, and tell you other mens turbulency against you, is a juft punishment of your factioufnefs against them. Your, plea hangs totreringly now by one flender thread, viz. your prevalency in other places; Beit fo, confider when, how, and in what you prevailed: A good caufe may be unfortunate, when the worft is crowned with fuccefs, Pompey is vanquifht when Cefar is victorious, & Jofiah is flain when Pharaoh Necho triumph't. Where the cause is naught, the means to effect it perjurious and indirect, its fuccefs is at beft but profperous villany. I have read, and who hath not, how G, and S. obtained what they have, were you treading in their steps, in the five years after 1640. what argument could you have had, fuppofe you had prevailed to prove the goodness of the caufe, which Mahomet may not enforce in verification of his Alchoran; certainly wrefting of Scripture, and a conquering arm of flesh, are the main ftaies of that abomination. Moreover let it be noted, his difciplinarians contend with thofe, whom they account Infidels, you, 12. Confi- with those whom you dare not deny to be Chriftians; you may derable cau- remember how John Goodwin concludes his cautions about a tions.very ne- reformation according to the Word of God; Is it not even ceffary to be thus? When either the Alchoran of the Turks, or the Miffal of and about a the Papifts hall appear to be according to the Word of God, then reformation, may your reformation hope to partake of the fame honour also. according to Thus he.

obferved in

་

the Word of 'Twas not the leaf frumble, which I received ere I fell finalGod Cant.12. ly from a good opinion of your difcipline, to be told to my

head

Si enim

head by one of your most eminent partisans, that the Church of i England fhould never come under any other Difcipline but yours, un-s lefs the first maded up to the knees in bloud; Sirs, is this Chriftian meeknefs? Is this Chrifts way to call finners to repentance? know you what you fay,or of what fpirit you are,when you rage after this manner? Will Chrift allow a bloody revengeful Spirit in Presbyters, when he check't it in his Apoftles? We read in Scripture,that our Saviour came to fave mens fouls, where readi ye that he came to destroy them? we read that he founded his Church in his own blood, where read you that he intends to propagate it with the bloud of other men? We read that. he gave his back to the fmiters, and was meek and gentle, where read your that he commends rage and violence to his Dif ciples? If you, or any elser think his patience towards, andi prayers for his enemies, is no pattern for your imitation, yet confider his tremendous application to his Apoftles, of the mafters feverity against the unmerciful fervant; Mat. 18. 35. So likewife fhall your heavenly father do unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trefpaffes, Are there any or hoftes Extrather Scriptures which allow, and commend bitterness among neos, non tanChriftians, certainly the Primitive Church never took them to tum vindices be part of the Canon otherwife Tertullian moft vainly, treche occultos agere rously, and unwortbily did betray the truth, by glorying of the rea- effet nobis, vis vellemus, dediness of the profeffors of his time, to fuffer martyrdome under perfe numerorum & suting heathens, when yet they were of fufficient force to fight with copiaran?pluthem, and put it to the hazard of a victory, whereof the Chriftians res nimirum might have been affured, if it had been Gods pleasure to ingage them mauri & in a war. What will the fame Scripture juftifie of your flaugh- ipfiq; Parthi, tering of your brethren for doing the will of God, which vel quantacun would not admit Primitive Chriftians to flay heathens for op- que unius tapofing it? Cufanus was then in the right, when he faid, the men loci, & fuorum finium Seriptures are alwaies to be interpreted according to the Churches gentes, quam current practife Wherein though he meant the Roman Court, totius. ortis? fhe may as juftly claim that priviledge as any other party what- Externi fumu foever, the being both the oldeft, and greatest faction in the & veftra omChriftian world. Befides (brethren) where is the liberty, and nia implevimus? urbes, tenderness you plead for in the day of your own diftrefs? Cau infulas, caftelinfulas,caftel you deftroy your brethrens bodies, and not perfecute their la, municipia, confciences Are your imprisonments and banishments, conciliabula, caftra ipla, tribus, decurias, palatium, fenatum forum fola volis reliquimus templa. Cui bello non idonei, non prompti fuiffemus? etiam impares copiis, qui tam libenter. trucidamur? fi non apud iftam difciplinam magis occidi liceret, quum occidere. Potuimus ac inermes, nec rebelles, fed tantum-modo difcordes, folius divortii invidia, adverfus vos dimicaffe; Tertull. Apol. adverf. gent. cap. 37.

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