THE apology FOR THE CONFORMABLE MINISTERS OF ENGLAND, For their Subscription to the present Church government.  
Where in is handled two things, 

THE FIRST IS, ¶ That the setting up of the primitive Church government, under a Christian King is not a matter of necessity, and this is proved by twenty substantial reasons.  
THE SECOND IS, ¶ That the government of the Church as now it standeth, differeth not from the primitive government, but onely in one material and necessary circumstance.    
Written by John FREEMAN, Minister of the Gospel.  
LONDON Printed by W. Stansby for Nathaniel Butter, dwelling in Pauls Church-yard by Saint Austins Gate. 1609.   

To the Right reverend Fathers in God, RICHARD, by the Grace of God Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, metropolitan and Primate of all England And to THOMAS, by the same Grace of God, Lord Bishop of London, All grace and peace in Ies●s Christ.  
I Doubted with myself, Right reverend Fathers, very often, and long, whether I should ever publish, or bring into the open light, this long since written apology, and defence of mine. I saw that our brethren differing from us in the opinion of church-government, were, with the Religious, and the worshippers of our time, the men of greatest esteem. I saw that they were men of sincere lives, and of singular labour, and blessing in the Church of God. I feared, yea in a true cause, to open my mouth against them: least I should bee counted a temporizer, and an enemy to all righteousness, and to the Church of God. I feared mine own defence, for fear of their offence. I feared least mine opinion, how s●und soever, would bee so overswayed by their authority, that it would be clean condemned; or ouerwaighed by their estimation, that it would be utterly contemned. If the light of the truth by my poor labours prevailed, and that I were made an instrument to discover their error, I feared( though without reason) least I should add affliction to their bonds: a thing which my soul never took pleasure in: or else, that whiles I overthrow their error, I should overthrow Religion itself, which was close couched, and as it seemed inextricably combined, and conjoined therewith. For satan had so sowed this error,( a subtle trick of that old novatian, and Angel like devill,) in almost all the religious and professors of the land, that religion itself seemed to live, and to die therewith. Yea myself, before authority enforced me with Lynceus eyes to look into this opinion of theirs, was so far carried with the regard thereof, that I rather choose to err with such men, then to think the truth with the present estate: the very reverence of the men, made me to reverence the very error of the men, and then no marvel if I did easily consent to overthrow that, which myself had once holpen to build up: But when I saw that howsoever I ought to reverence such men: yet that I ought to reverence, incomparably more the truth, and glory of God: When I saw that my long silence, did not redeem their silence, that the holding of my peace, did not give them peace: that to be silent did do them no good: but to speak might do them some good, for it might resolve them. When I saw that they were condemned for their error: and myself, and my brethren were condemned for the truth, so that their sincerity could not uphold religion, because of their silenced error: nor our truth, because of mens blind and wilful, and too too uncharitable erring. When I saw that their false opinion overthrew their ministry with the state: & mens false opinions concerning us overthrew our ministery with the contrary: so that in all places, and every where, religion was like to fall to the ground: I thought it high time now, if ever( not weighing what once I thought, but what now, I plainly see, and know) religion itself, and the truth of God so requiring to clear ourselves in the open hearing, and sight of the world, and to let all men know, that we that haue subscribed to the present Church government, haue not done it of human infirmity, as they would seem to think, that are the most charitable among them: much less haue we done it as temporizers, to raise ourselves to worldly honor: or as apostates, and turn coats, to enjoy the riches, and the fat of the land: but from a full persuasion of knowledge, and from tried, and approved grounds of the word, which what they are, we offer by this Apology to the view of the world, and to be looked into both by our aduersaries, and by our friends: not now any longer standing in fear of the envious man, if as ulysses under ajax shield: so I, religion, and the truth of God,( as in most humble wise I crave and most confidently hope,) may be hidden and safe kept, under your Lordships most able, and honourable protection. And since I haue ventured so far vpon your Lordships desired, but not deserved favour, as to become troublesone to you, with the defence, of this my defence: Let it not I beseech you seem unpleasing or unseemly in your Lordships eyes, if I entreat in the behalf of our enemy-brethren, that they may haue free liberty to use the press, if they mean to make answer to this Apology and answer of ours. I fear not least these reasons of mine should prove like small wines, that please better in the tasting, then in the drinking. No my very hope is, that if they do but read them, they will relish them. But if they shall attempt to dissolve them: they will resolve them, and that they will not find them to be hay, or straw, or stubble, builded vpon the foundation Christ, but pearl & precious ston, & pure gold, which the more it is tried, the purer it will be. And thus my hope is, that by me the weakest & vnablest man of the Church: the Church, and we the condemned men of the Church, may keep our innocency: and our brethren, if they be not obstinate may be resolved, and we with them enjoy in the Church, our mutual, and long wished: but too too long broken, and discontinued peace: which God, who onely is able, and is the Author of peace, by this of mine, or some other more effectual work, effect and work, in his good, and speedy time, for Iesus Christ his sake, to whom be all honour given and everlasting praise, both now and for ever, Amen.  
Your Lordships m●st humble to command. John FREEMAN.   

To the Reader.  
CHristian Reader, change in governors & gouernm●nts, is a thing so usual with God and men, that even the heauens and the earth often haue had experience thereof. For in the heauens hath the Lord set up a new King to reign over all the powers of heaven: over the principalities and the glorious thrones, over al the Angels of God, and over all the souls of the just: yea over all the Kings and kingdoms of the earth: and over all the people of the world. Yea, this King hath the keys of hell, ●nd of death, and this new King whom God hath set a Lord and king over all, is the Lord Iesus, a man taken from among men, yea out of the dust of death, and out of the grave. Him hath God lifted up( with showting, and the song of the Trumpet, with great honour and exceeding glory and ioy) into the heaven, and set him vpon his right hand, and established him an everlasting Lord and King: and this is he whom now all the Angels and powers of heaven do worship, whom all the souls, and spirits of the dead that live, do worship as the King, and prince of God: and this all kings of the earth worship, and fall down before him, and lick the dust at his feet. And that the Church on earth might haue experience of this changeable estate, Christ that once dep●ted the Elders of the Church, to govern for him that part of his kingdom on the earth, that wee call the Church, hath in stead of them, s●t up the Kings, and the princes of the earth to rule, not onely the weal public, but the Kingdom of Christ on the earth, which is the Church of God. If thou askest when this change was made, and when this ruling power was translated from the Church to the King: this book will answer thee, and tel thee, that when Kings became Christian, they gained a kingdom on earth, that they lost before even a kingdom over the kingdom of Christ, and besides, a kingdom in heaven, where they that reign well, being Kings on earth, shall reign also Kings in heaven with Iesus, that Lord and mighty King. If thou askest what word there is to warrant this change: it will show thee, that it is warranted by the spirit of prophecy, that spake in Esay the Prophet, that foretold, that Kings should be nursing Fathers, and Queens nursing mothers to the Church, to feed us not onely with the word, but the sword: that is, to rule and govern prudently, as david did the Church of God. If thou askest the reasons of the change this book will yield thee twenty at the least, to resolve thee of this point: it will let thee plainly see, that the power to rule, that once was in the Church when Kings were not yet Christians, is now, that Kings are become Christians, departed from the Church, & d●uolued to the Christian King●, as to the proper owners & right heires of so great a power. And here I must tell thee, that this doctrine, as it hath many enemies, that for want of eye-salve, cannot see into the end of the primitive government abolished: so it hath many friends, men of a nimbler eye and quick sight, that dare uphold it with the best member that they haue. And that in one view thou mightest see both the friends and the foes, I will in a word set them before thee. The principal enemy of this doctrine is the Pope, who having seized vpon the kingdom of Christ, holdeth fast the power, and exerciseth the government of the Church over the Kings, and the princes of the earth, and holdeth opinion, that the power that Christ gave to his Church to govern and to rule, is perpetual, and that it may not be taken away from the Church by any of the kings of the earth. This opinion of his, is seconded by the Brownists, and by our brethren Ministers, that are silenced, because they claim this power as their right in the name of Iesus, and will not yield it to the King: as if Kings in this light of the Gospel could be hooded as they were in the dayes of darkness. or if Kings that shooke off but lately the yoke of the Pope, would again put their necks under the yoke of the Eldership● but so our brethren beleeue, and so they had, as the Pope that the power to rule that was given to Peter and to the primitive Church, is perpetual: and that is may not be taken away the●e-from, nor bee with held there-from, by the k●nges of the earth without their great sin: and this opinion of theirs and of the Pope, is esteemed with the Christian professors of our time as the onely truth of god, as if popery, were the onely true and sound religion, and these are the enemies of this opinion of mine: the friends of this opinion were Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, and the rest of the Martyrs, and the whole Church of England in the daies of King Henry the eight, who with one voice did yield unto the King the whole power and rule over the Church of England: yea the same power over the Church that was in david Salomon, & the rest of the godly kings ●uer the Church of Iuda, & to this they subscribed in the Article of the Kings supremacy, & this opinion is that which is seconded by our Bish●ps, upheld by our gracious Prince, subscribed unto by us, the peaceable, and orthodox Ministers, and now defended in this my book: that derogateth the ruling power from the Pope, that he enjoyeth t: hat derogateth the ruling power from the Church, that the primitive Church had: that doth not arrogate this power to any of the Ministers of the Church, but ascribeth it wholly unto the King, as the vicegerent of Christ, for the governing of his earthly kingdom. Now Christian Reader whither it be better to err with the Pope, and the abetters and friends of the Pope, ●r to think the truth with the Church of God, judge thou, and judge as thou shalt haue cause, when thou hast heard, or seen, what I haue said in this behalf. and God give thee a wise heart to see, and to judge aright.  
Thine J. F.   

THE apology OF THE Conformable Ministers of England, for their Subscription to the present Church government.  
CHristian brethren, let it be lawful for me by your favourable leave, with the same words to speak unto you, with the which the holy Apostle, once spoke unto the Christian Corinthians: saying, let a man so esteem of us, as of the Ministers of God, and the disposers of the manifold mysteries of Iesus Christ. And hows●euer some others esteem of y●u & you esteem of yourselves, to be only conscionable, and the friends of God; in that you haue offered up your Liberties, and livings, for the discipline, and the ●●●ertie of the Church: and do judge of us that haue subscribed, to b●e but ●●me servers, and men pleasers: yet do us( we bese●●h you) this favour, to think that we haue red, and in some part ●o●●now, the scriptures as you do: at the lest we know this, tha● i● man hath once ●asted the good word of God, and the powers o● the life to come and h●th been enlightened, and partaker of the holy Ghost: that if such a one fa●l away, it is impossible that ever he should be re●●ued by repentance. And the●▪ i● knowing these things, wee should for filthy lucre sake, speak thing, that wee ought not, or against the open light of our conscience, subscribe to open, and manifest darkness then might you w●ll co●de●ne us in dead: yea our own consciences would cond●mne us in the sight of God. But we hope to be approved of God, unto wh●●e iudgement seat we appeal, from so unjust iudgment of Christian men: & in the mean time, we haue laboured by this our apology, to show ourselves approved to yourselves, and to the whole Church of God: and to let you see with how unjust iudgement, we are condemned for subscribing to the present Church government, and for entertaining the imposed ceremonies of this our English Church. And though loth,( because we would not be thought to speak for Baal,) yet from the bitterness, and very grief of our heart, as men weary of hearing, and bearing such things, we haue at last consented, to draw forth out of our secret bosoms, our hidden motives, and to lay open our private reasons, which being secret, kept inward peace; but being not open, haue gotten no good report, And herein dealing plainly, as in the sight of God, we lay open, and unfold ourselves to the world, that our aduersaries sitting as judge over this our cause, might give sentence over us, according as we shall clear, or not clear ourselves, by this apology, and defence of ours: which that we might the better make, wee must remember according to their two fold accusation, to answer first,( which wee intend if God permit) for our subscription to the present government: and secondly, to answer for our taking vpon us the use, of the lawful, and laudable ceremonies, that by authority a●e established in this our English Church. And first, to answer to the first, I plainly find, concerning our Church government, two diverse sorts of people, differing in their iudgement, and man●festly opposed one against the other: the first sort whereof, are they that some call novelists, and some call puritans, but vpon what ground I know not: for mine own part, I call them, and count them, our Christian brethren, though in this particular they differ from us, and are men possessed with an other opinion, then we are: and the opinion of these men is, that in the primitive Church, there were set up by God, as gouernours of the Church, neither Archbishops, nor Bishops: neither Archdeacons, nor Deacons: nei-Commissaries, nor Officials: neither Kings, nor Princes: for that they might haue added in like manner: but the whole sway of the Church government, was committed unto the Minister in every Church▪ and to certain godly and choice men of the Church, which were called Elders, who jointly with the Ministers were to oversee the flock of Christ▪ to censure, and punish by excommunication, the notable, and the obstinate sinners: and to bee custodes vtriusque tabulae, that is, to bee holy means to see, that either table of Gods law were diligently kept and observed of the whole Church of God. Such a government( say they) was there set in the Church of God, by the spirit of God, and by the power of Iesus Christ: and such a government say they, now is to be set by the same power of God in every particular Church of the world. And this is that godly show, and that plausible reason of theirs, whereby we were carried very far in our affections to embrace, and incline to that opinion, and iudgement of theirs. Now in a contrary opinion to this, are our reverent Bishops, the very Fathers of the Church, and the rest, which are the greatest part both of the universities, & the whole land beside: and these hold that no such government was in the Church, and yet that albeit such a government were established in the primitive Church, as hath by them been spoken off: yet the same was not thereby necessary imposed, vpon this our Church, and all other Churches of the world. Onely that it was for those times, and then necessary, when persecution oppressed the Church: but under a Christian prince, and in a public we●le, embracing from the King, to the peasant, the gospel of God, that it was arbitrary, and at the pleasure of the Prince to be held still, or to bee disannulled, as was most behouefull for the whole land: and this is that opinion of theirs, that( enforced better to consider) we haue looked into, and as we verily think vpon sounder iudgement, and vpon better, and weightier reasons we haue of late yielded unto: and as the truth of God together with them embraced, and now come forth, in this our public apology to answer for, against the gainsayer, and reprovers both of them, and vs. And here( because we that desire not to be wronged by them, would in no case wrong them) we willingly yield unto them this, that for the overthrow of this present Church government, they haue in some sort shewed, that this of ours, and the primitive Church government, do not jump both together; nor in every particular name, and circumstance agree: but whither the primitive government were perpetual, and of necessity to bee imposed vpon all Churches, & people of the world, as the Word and Sacraments were; in that point as we verily think they haue utterly failed: and therefore we haue utterly fallen away from them. And indeed brethren, they that will thrust vpon a land, a new kind of Church government, and that in the name, and authority of the Lord Iesus: They that by the authority of God, would cause the King to lay down his power, and authority, and entertain that which they say to be of the Lord, & to alter, and wholly to change, all his policy ecclesiastical: They that will enforce the Lords, the peers, and the Princes of the land, which are otherwise above, and set over all, next under God, and the King, to submit themselves, not onely to be taught, but to be governed by their particular Ministers, & by Laymen of base alloy, though they haue the name of Elders put upo● them: and so cause all men now to stoop to them, as once they unjustly and unwisely did, unto the Pope, under the name of Christs Vicar, and by the thunderbolt of excommunication: They that will constrain the Lord Bishops, & others interested in the patrimony, & power of the Church, to lay down al their power, & present ●ight, & that in the word of the living God, & by the commandement of the great, and everlasting King: They that will haue all Ministers( as once Thomas of Becket foolishly did, for the upholding of the Romish Church) together with them, for the upholding and bringing in of the primitive Church government, strive against the commandment of the King, and lay down their livings, their liberties, and their lives,( as once the Martyrs did, for the testimony of the gospel of Iesus Christ:) had need to come mightily armed, by the two edged sword, which is the word of God, and is able indeed, and of power, to subdue all things: and from thence by demonstrative, and unanswerable arguments, to persuade thereunto: and to show, that such a government once there was, and that such a government, being perpetually imposed vpon all people, by the living God, is under the pain, and curse of God, to be retained where it is, and entertained where it is not. For this wee hold, that wee are no● bound to refuse the present government wherein we haue been called, and whereby wee haue been richly blessed of God: nor necessary to imb●ace that offered by you: nor for the embracing thereof, nor bringing ●f that in, to adventure to open danger, our lives, Liberties, or ministries until you haue demonstratively proved, that this onely discipline, and besides it no other, is permitted, nor commanded of God, perpetually to be in use, in all Churches, and ages for ever. Now this we must tell you brethren, that you haue not done, yea in stead of proving this, which was your parts to haue done: having shewed that it was once in use( whereupon you insist, and wherein very eloquently, and copiously you dwell, to the possessing of the Reader, with a very full persuasion, that your assertions are grounded wholly on the word of God) having I say, shewed, that it was once in use, you require us to show where it was first, or last, or at all abolished: which is, when you fail in proving the affirmative, to put us( which is a hard province indeed, and a heavy task;) to prove t●e negative. Nay in requiring us to show, being once in use, when it was abolished( that is so taken awa●, as that it might never be in use again▪ ● is a further matter, then in equity you ought to desire: or in reason we need to perform. Fo● hereby you manifestly go about to draw from us a most vnchristian verdict, and an open reproof against all the Christian Churches of the world, that heretofore haue, or at this present do embrace, the primitive Church discipline: a thing so far from our hearts, as that it never once entred thereinto. No, respeake all peace unto them, and wish them to prosper, and fare well with that their desired, and wished kind of Church government: and oh that there were a heart in you likewise, not to envy our good, nor to trouble that peaceable estate; which by the manifest leave, and approbation of God, we do, by the same mercy and favour of God, with them, enjoy: which is the point that wee mean to labour in, and to show, not that the primitive Church government is utterly abolished: but that it is arbitrary, and e●ther may, or m●y not, bee retained in a Christian kingdom: which being once openly shewed, will utterly clear us that haue subscribed to this present Church government: overthrow your assertion, and cut the sinews of that ecclesiastical discipline, that of necessity you would thrust vpon us: and utterly take away the main, and 〈◇〉 ground ●f your principal reason, which is this.  

Such a kind of Church government ●s was used in the primitive Church, ●s to be ●●t up in this, ●nd in all the Churches of the w●rld:  
But in the ●rimitiue Church, there was a special kind of Church government exercised by the Minister and certain chosen Elders:  
Ergo, Such a government is to bee set up in this, and in all Churches of the world.   
The Minor part of this syllogism, you stand very long vpon, to make the Reader beleeue, that your discipline is a part of the word and gospel of Iesus Christ. But the Maior which is the main part, that is false, and can haue no show out of the word, with a pretty kind of rhetoric, you shift off, and pass over, and thereby leave it open to our bare denial. To this therefore being the onely weak part, and wanting his armor of proof, I mean to give an assault, and making a breach here, to enter in, and to overthrow that, which you hold to be your strong, and invincible hold, and to this point, to bring the whole force of my disputation, and by strong and invincible arguments, to let you see, that the ecclesiastical discipline of the primitive Church, under a Christian King, is altogether alterable, and may wholly, either be changed, or taken away.  

REASON I.  
NOw for the better showing hereof, I will compare, the government of the primitive Church, with an other government, altogether of the same nature, and like unto that. I mean the jewish policy, even the government of their Church combined with their kingdom, by the judicial law: which was given unto them by God, set up in the midst of his own people, charged vpon them perpetually by the commandement of God, in use with them, in the dayes of Moses, the Saint of God: and after him, in the dayes of josuah, the faithful seruant of God: and after them in the dayes of all the Iudges of the land, and a●ter them, in the dayes of all the Kings of Iuda, which sprung up successively one after another: even until the utter dissolution, and desolation of the jewish Empire: all which notwithstanding, it is confessed by our enemies themselves, that this civil policy, and jewish government, is not thereby of necessity, to bee brought in, and to be set up, in this kingdom of ours, & in all other kingdoms of the world: and if a man from hence should reason thus, and say.  Such a kind of policy, and civil government as was in the land of jury, set up there by God himself, and in use for so many hundred yeeres together: such a kind of policy, and civil government, ought to be in this our land, and kingdom. 
Would not trow you, every reasonable man, easily perceive, how feeble, and weak this argument, and reason of his were? now altogether like unto this was the ecclesiastical policy of the primitive Church, which was in like manner given from Iesus Christ, set up in the midst of the Christian Gentiles, Charged vpon them for the upholding of the persecuted Church, in use with them, in the dayes of Paul, and other the blessed Apostles of Christ, and after them in use in the Church of God for many hundred yeeres: even during the whole time of the persecution of the Church, now he that from hence reasoneth thus.  
Such a kind of government was in the primitive Church, Ergo,  
Such a kind of government ought to be in our Church:  
Reasoneth as he that saith,  
Such a kind of government was in the commonweal of jury, Ergo,  
Such a kind of government ought to be in our commonweal.  
Now by the weakness of this latter, you may easily perceive the falseness of the former. And indeed, if a government civil, g●uen by God himself charged vpon, and used by his own people, be notwithstanding alterable, and to us altogether arbitrary, and a matter wholly indifferent: Then by the same reason, a government ecclesiastical, set up by the spirit of God, and used in the primitive Church, is to us in like manner arbitrary, and may be used, or not used, as best fitteth our Church, and Common weal.   

REASON. II.  
ANd yet further, I look into the jewish sacrifices: which being a part of the ceremonial law, together with the whole, were charged vpon the people of the Iewes, by the commandment of God, in the top of mount Sinai: from that time forth, to be in use, and exercised, of all Israel, from time, to time; from age, to age; throughout their generations for ever: all which notwithstanding, without reproof, and that in the presence of God that dwelled in the cloud, that would not reprove them for that their Sacrifices were not always before him: and in the presence of Moyses the faithful seruant of God, and in the presence of Aaron, the Priest of God: by the space of forty yeeres in the wilderness,( as Stephen sheweth in the acts of the Apostles) they were wholly, and altogether omitted. Whence I gather, that if the Sacrifices of the law, which were a part of the visible service of God, being given,( as Moyses well saw) for the settled estate of the Church, might( without special licence, the general commandment being to the contrary) in the vnstaied, and wandering estate of the Church, be lawfully omitted: then by the like reason, on the contrary side, may a special kind of Church government,( being no public part of Gods worship, and but onely a fence, or a hedge for the same) given by God himself, in, and for the dayes of the troubled estate of the Church, in the peaceable estate of the Church, under a Christian King, be wholly omitted: much more altered, and changed, at the p easure of the King, to the fittest estate, and the best b●hoofe, of the whole land and Church: even as those city walls, whic● in the dayes of war, are diligently repaired, watched, and warded▪ may in the dayes of peace, be regarded less: yea wholly at the pleasure of the King be demolished, and utterly overthrown. I will not apply the similitude, onely this I say, that popery knew well how to abuse the edge of the ecclesiastical sword, that in the dayes of the Church war, was put into, and after that le●t in hand, to the cutting of the Emperours throat, to the paring away, and impairing of his authority, and the utter subduing of him: and to the repairing, or rather building up of the Popes supremacy: the Lord give every man a wise heart to apply it, and to consider what I say.   

REASON III.  
ANd here because they precisely press vpon us the jumping with the primitive government, I would fain know, which they hold to be the primitive government. do they hold the presbytery that is received of the r●fo●med Churc●es, & which they desire to be the primitive government? I● so they hold, they deceive themselves, exceeding much, and all their followers. For the primitive government was in aristocra●ie▪ the chief ruling power being in t●e hands of the chief men of the Church, as the Apostles of C●rist, and the Euangeli●●s: but theirs is a mere democraty: the rule of the Church b●●ing equally partaked of their lay Elders, and Church Ministers all equal, as they hold, in power to govern the Church▪ their government therefore is not the primitive government, but the government of the Apostles: with which our gouernm●nt is more nearly proportioned then theirs: but they refuse that as the primitive, lest ours should be more like to the primitive, then that of theirs.  
And that which more is, they would make us beleeue, that that of theirs was in use under the godly Kings of Iuda, and established by Moyses under the law, if it be so; why do they not call their government, the government of the jewish Church, rather then the government of the primitive Church? why do they not call it as well the government of Moyses, as the government of Christ? and the government of the law, as well as a parcel of the gospel? but they are afraid that this name would signify unto men the abolishing, and determination thereof, as well as the change of the other jewish policy.  
But to come to my intended purpose, I find diuers sorts of Church governments, & all of them with times changeable, the first government was that of the jewish Church under the godly Kings, who( without Presbetry of the reformed Churches) governed their Churches in all godliness, & peace, only by their authority civil: and this their government was wi●h the peaceable dayes of the Church changed into the government under the Sannedrim, who in the dayes of the heathen Kings( that governed the weal public, but persecuted the church) rose up to govern the despised church, by another, & a new kind of policy: only, & merely ecclesiastical & here a little stay with me, and consider what changed t●e first Gouernm●nt temporal of the Kings, into the second government Ecclesiastical, under the Sannedrim, was it not peaceable dayes turned into persecution? & then why may not persecution turned into peaceable dayes, change the second, into the first, the Ecclesiastical government of the Church, under the eldership( which was that of the Sannedrim) into the civil government of the Church( which is under the godly kings?)  
But yet further I find after the Sannedrim, another, and a third kind of Church government rising up instead of th● abolished, and taken away: and that was the government of the primitive Church: where the affairs of every Church, were governed by the Eldership of the Church, as by the under officers of the Church: the Eldership was governed by the evangelists: and the evangelists by the Apostles of Christ, and this is properly called the primitive government.  
This third kind, which was the primitive government, was with the next age changed: For the Apostles were taken away. and the evangelists taken away, and of the Gouernm●nt remained nothing but the very tail, and base part thereof, which was the under Eldership, and instead of the Apostles, and evangelists, rose up Bishops to govern the eldership, & the succeeding Churches. And therefore which way soever I look, I see with the times all Church Gouernem nts changeable, yea changed: that of the Kings was changeable, yea changed: that of the Sannedrim changeable, yea changed; that of the primitive Church( which is the point I stand vpon, and maintain in this my book) changeable, yea changed; and why may not the l●tter, which is but the tail of the former, be changed, as well as the former? why may not the one half, as well as the other half? the whole, as well as the part? the Elders as well as the Apostles, and the evangelists of Christ? or what unchangeable nature haue the Elders, above the Apostles, & evangelists of Christ? or this piece more then all the other governments had? All this speaketh, that Church governments are things different, and indifferent, according to the times, and that they must all serve the times: and the times, and they, serve the Churches: and not the Churches serve them.  
And here observe with me, that if the officers of the primitive Church( who onely might administer the Church censures) b●e alterable: then the censures also of the primitive Church, are alterable as well as the officers are.   

REASON IIII.  
but here, I hear them say, that God in not sufficing of other, in stead of the former Apostles, and evangelists, hath by his speaking work shewed his pleasure, and will; for the abolishing of that kind of government, and leaving onely Pastors, and Elders to abide in the Church, hath left them as examples, and patterns for us, thereby to fashion unto ourselves, and to form for ever, the government of all our Churches. Very well, by the same reason I show, that the Lord not sufficing in many Churches of our land, able Ministers, and godly Elders for the government of their particular Churches, hath by that his manifest, and revealing speaking work, in like manner, shewed his pleasure, for the abolishment of their rule, and government in those particular Churches. And then if God by his speaking work, hath let the world see, that he will not haue these particular Churches to be governed by Pastors, and ruling Elders, as the primitive Church was, then from thence we can farther see, by this light, that God hath given from heaven, that the same is the reason of the whole, and the part, and if it may by Gods oracle, and voice, speaking in his work, be changed in some Churches: then as well in other some, and so by consequent in every Church of the land. For God speaketh as well by his work, as by his word, and this word of God in his work going before, and speaking, and directing us, is ever to be followed, and harkened unto, when there is no direct commandement unto us for the contrary, as the case standeth in this matter now in hand, as we presently mean to show, if God permit.   

REASON V.  
ANd here I might stand to show how many things may alter the government of God; and first I find that it may be altered by a contrary dispensation from God: as the law of Moyses by the coming of Christ, and by the establishment of the Gospel of God: secondly it may be altered by the work of God, abolishing it quiter and clean, as the government by the Apostles. Thirdly by necessity, which maketh many things lawful, which were otherwise utterly unlawful, for that made it lawful for david to eat of the show bread, and for the Disciples to pluck the ears of corn, on the sabbath day. Fourthly, by the troubles of the land, and Church, in which case it was lawful for the maccabees to fight on the sabbath, and to break even a moral commandment. Now what if I should step one step farther, and say, that it might under a godly prince be changed also by the consent of the land, and Church? fearing great hurt by retaining of it,( which they evidently saw in the Popish Church, armed with the ecclesiastical power) seeing also much inconvenience thereby, in those places of the world, where it was embraced: and lastly, that it could nor stand with the Kings Supremacy, and the present estate, without a wonderful, and a dangerous alteration, and change: which are reasons altogether equivalent, either to present troubles, or to urging necessity: And reason in this case, as once Christ reasoned in another, not altogether unlike unto this, & say? that policies were made for men, and not men for policies: that governments of lands, and Churches, were made for the upholding of lands, and Churches: and not lands, and Churches, for the upholding of governments. And that all governments whatsoever, must of necessity give place to the health, and good estate of their land and Church: and what if I should subscribe to this position? were I( think you) worthy of so great blame, as is laid vpon me and others, for doing so? But I mean not to stand vpon this, we haue other, and other manner of reasons, to bear us on, and to justify our subscription, then this is, although for mine own part, I see not how to answer this.   

REASON VI.  
but to omit these generals, and to come to the particular Church government in question: I see they urge the example, but I look into the co●maundement, that must warrant, and ground the example: and I find in all the word, not one word, for the perpetuity thereof. In the fourth Chapter to the Ephesians, verse 11.12.13. The Apostle reckoneth up precisely, the particular officers, that Christ hath given unto his body, which is the Church, for the edifying thereof, until wee come to a perfect man, even unto the full measure of Christ, full grown: which onely shall be at the resurrection of the just, and the officers that there he mentioneh, so long to endure, are first Apostles, then Prophets, then evangelists, then Pastors, and Doctors: and these are all that there are mentioned, to continue in their succession, until the appe●ring of Christ. As for ruling Elders, it seemeth the Apostle had forgotten himself: for he m●keth of them no mention at all. In the Epistle to timothy( a chief ruler in the Church) where he professedly teacheth him how to behave himself in the Church of God, and instructeth him in the whole estate▪ and affairs thereof, and how he ought to govern, and rule it, he speaketh not one word, for to charge vpon him the perpetuity of the eldership. In the sixth Chapter the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth verse: he chargeth him to follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, to fight the good sight of faith, &c. And concerning this commandment, he saith, I charge thee in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, that thou keep this commandment without spot, and vnblameable, until the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. But speaking of the ruling Elder, and giuing unto him by his authority double honour, he chargeth him not, as he did in the case before, to observe that commandment without spot, and vnchaungeably, until the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ: much less doth he command the perpetual setting of him in the Church ●● God. Onely he doth aclowledge unto him double ho●our, while he is in being, and ruleth well in the Church: but goody doth not aclowledge him worthy to abide for ever; ●nd to bear rule in the Church of God for ever. And yet,( if e●●r) here,( remembering the ruling Elder) had been a fit place, that would haue required the Apostle to ●ave given this commandment unto timothy. I red the second Epistle to Timo●●e, where the Apostle might haue remembered what he had ●orgotten in the former, but I find not a word for that point ●●all that second Epistle of his. I red diligently the Epistle to ●itus, whom Paul left for that purpose in Crete, that he might ●●ll and fully order the Church there: I find that he com●●undeth him to ordain Ministers i● the Churches that wan●ed. But he giveth no charge for the ordering of the ruling E●ders: no, not so much as any commandment, for the euer●asting abiding of them in the Church of God. Neither do I ●●de in all the Scriptures, that are able sufficiently to teach the ●hole will of God, any commandement at all, for the everlasting continuance ●f the consistorian Eldership. Now brethren, for the Lord to will the perpetuity of the ruling Eldership, & not to reveal his will for the perpetuity thereof; is not answerable to the ordinary manner of God, who never spareth in express words to reveal his will, for the perpetuity of that, which he is pleased to haue perpetual in his Church. In the twelfth Chapter of Exodus, and the fourteenth verse, when he doth for ever establish the Passeou●r, he saith in express words: this day shall be unto you a remembrance, and ye shall keep it an holy Feast unto the Lord throughout your generations ye shall keep it an holy Ordinance for ever. again, in the four and twenty Chapter of Exodus, the ●i eteene and twent●e verse, wh●n he will tie A●ron to the perpetual use of the breastplate ●n his appearing before God, he saith: so shall Aaron bear the names of the children of I●raell in the breastplate of Iudgement, upon his heart, when he goeth into the holy place, for a remembrance continually before the Lord. And the like charge is in the next verse for the continual putting on of the V ●●, and Thu●m●m, when he appeareth before the L ●d con●inually. And again, in the same Chapter, speaking of the holy apparel of Aaron, and of his seed, he saith: this shall be a law for ever unto him, and to his seed after him. And again in the next Chapter, verse 23. establishing the Priesthood for ever unto Aaron, and his seed, he saith: and Aaron and his seed, shall haue it by a statute forever of the children of Israel. In like manner▪ when he doth ordain the perpetuity of the Morning, and evening sacrifices: Exod 29.38. The perpetuity of the incense: Exod. 30.8. The washing of the Priestes hands, and f●ete: Exod. 30.21. The sweet oil: ver. 31. The use of the Sabb●th. Exod. 31.13.17. In express words he commandeth the perpetuity thereof, the time would fail me, and it would be needless, to bring forth all the particular places of Scripture, for the confirmation of this point: in these, being but a few, you may see the truth of the whole, and how ever the Lord useth to tie to a perpetual ordinance, a perpetual commandement. And this being in all other things the ordinary course of the Lord, doth it not seem strange and wonderful in your eyes, that the Lord should not in like manner by a plain commandment, for the perpetuity of your Church government, establish, and set it up for ever? doth it not amaze you, and make you dumb, and mute, that the Lord should be utterly mute, and silent in this point: and yet usually in all other perpetual ordinances, use so many, and so plain words, for the perpetuity of them? Pardon us Christian brethren, if we dare not avouch it to be perpetua●l, when the Lord doth not speak it, if we suspect it not to he his will, when himself doth not say that it is his will, if we be suspicious, where the Lord is silent: if we doubt, where the Lord is dumb: if we make no conscience to obey, when you can show no: we see, any commandement, which we are tied to obey. And therefore to conclude this point, I say of ecclesiastical Discipline, as once Paul said of an other indifferent thing; namely of marriage, that concerning this thing, neither I, nor you, haue any commandement at all: and therefore, though as faithful men, you may give council to entertain that, yet you can give, in the name of God, no commandement so to do. But as Paul left marriage, so must you leave the primitive Church Discipline at liberty, and hold it to bee free for the Church peaceably to receive, or not to receive it at all.   

REASON. VII.  
ANd that which is yet a farther point, the Scripture hath not precisely defined, what sins the ruling Elders of the Church are to intermeddle in, as whither they are to lay the cen●●re of excommunication vpon murder, theft debt, rebellion, and such like sins as were severely punished even by the heathen Kings, and whereof the Scriptures, and all succeeding ages haue given not any one example: or whither they were to draw the sword of excommunication onely against adulterers, covetous persons, extortioners, railers, idolaters, and prophaners of the sabbath: which being esteemed the lesser sins, were neglected of the heathen Kings, but severely punished of the Church of God: as ●ppeareth both by express commandment, and manifest ex●●ples in the word of God. Neither is it plainly revealed in the Scripture, whither onely the Minister, or jointly with the Mini●●er, the Lay be to Elder minister excommunication: if the Lay ●●der may excommunicate, then how is that saying of Christ spo●●n onely to the Ministers, whose sins ye remit, they are remit●ed; and whatsoever ye bind in earth, is bound in heaven? if he ●ay not excommunicate, how is he a governor ecclesiastical, that hath not the power of the Ecclesia●ticall sword to govern, a●d rule withall? and thus the Scripture hath left us in a doubt, ●●at hath need of an Apostle to determine: neither is the time 〈◇〉 the Lay Elders rule, limited by the Scripture, as whether it be to ●edetermined yearly, or wh●ther it bee to endure his whole life. And thus hath the Scripture, not determining the office of the ●ay Elder, as it hath the office of Aaron, the King, the Pastor, the Deacon and the aged widows, made us of necessity to doubt of ●●and to suspect that it was not the pleasure of the Lord, that such ●one should bare for ever office in the Church, whose office for ●●e Church is so barely, or rather not at all, in many points determined. And surely it seemeth an incre●●ible thing to me, that the Lord should set an o●ficer perpetually in the Church, and not ●●e him nor show him his office, in plain and open words, pre●●el● determined.  
And that which more is, the Lord hath not vouchsafed to set ●●m forth no, not by his particular g●ifts, n●r what manner of ●●n he ought to be, th●● should bear the office of the Church Elder. In the first Epi●●le ●o timothy, chapter 3.1. the Lord hath particularly described the Bishops by their several gifts: and so he hath described the special gifts of the Deac●●s, and of the Church widows, Chap. 3.8. & 5.2. Where also had been a fit place to haue described in like manner, the guif●s of the ●ay Elder. But the Lord by his spirit in deep silence passeth over him, and toucheth not his required gifts, no not in one word. In the Epistle to Titus, Chap. 1.7. The Apostle te●eth us what manner of man the Elder must bee: but least we should take him to speak of the lay Elder, he presently unfoldeth hims●l●e, and saith, for a Bishop must be without blame, &c. And here I m●ke the challenge to all on the contrary side, if they can to show, where the lay Elder is described by his particular gifts: which I know already they shall never be able to do. Now whence was it tr●w ye, that the Lord doth not unfold unto us, nor set down the the particular gifts of the lay ruling Elders? was it think you of forgetfulness, or of contempt, or of neglect? was it no matter what manner of person he were, that beate office, a●d rule in the Church of God? God forbid that we should esteem so. What was it then? Surely I can in equity, and reason, see no other reason of it, then this: that the Lord did foresee, that he was, but for a season to endure: even till Kings spr●nge up that should according to their office rule the Church in all the ways of God, as once without the kings, the ruling Elders did. And that this was the meaning of the Lord, I gather by the reasons of our aduersaries, that argue the perpetuity of the Deacon, and the rest of the Church officers, because they are set into the Church, with their particular gifts, and call●ngs from G●d. Whence I reason, that if the Pastors, and Deacons, being set out in their gifts, are thereby set up in the Church for ever: then on the contrary, ruling Elders being not set out in their gifts, are not to be set up for ever, and that of necessity, in every particular Church: and then, if the rulers be needles: the rule itself, the primitive government is needless in like manner, as well as they are.   

REASON VIII.  
but omitting these things: I come to c●nsider the persons that were in the primitive Church governed, by Ecclesiastical Discipline and I find them to be all brethren: ●ll b●gotten of one, and the same seed of the word: all Saints, as ●he Apostle calleth them: all called by the gospel of God: and separated from the multitude of the vnbeleeuing gentiles; and joined unto the Church of God: all open professors therof, and such as had at the least, a temporary faith. All these voluntarily gave themselves first unto God, and then unto the Apostles, and to the Church of God, to be governed by that. And unto these men, the ecclesiastical censure of Excommunication, and the power of the Church seemed to be, and was indeed unto them, of very great power, to keep them in awe, to restrain them from sin, and to lead them forth in all the right ways of God. For these men to be separate from the brethren, whom they loved as their own souls: to be cast out of the Church, where one day was better then a thousand else-where; where to be a doorkeeper, was better then to be a king in another place, was a heavy cen●ure, and a grievous punishment indeed; for these men to be counted as Heathen, whom Christ, and themselves counted as dogges: to be given by excommunication unto the divell: to haue their sins bound in heaven, as the Church had bound them in the earth, was a terrible coercion, and a punishment in their iudgement equal to hell, and unto eternal death; and therefore as bad, nay far worse then temporal death. But this censure of the Church, that was to the brethren, & unto the Church so terrible, & so fearful a thing, was to the Gentiles, and to the rest that were without, a most contemptible, and despised thing: it concerned not, nor touched their bodies; and they, of a certainty did not know, that they had souls, it was the binding of them in their sins, that were slaves, and utterly sold unto sin: it was a spiritual punishment, and they were carnal men: for them to be shut out of the Church, that despised the Church, and persecuted it: for them to be separated from the brethren, that of themselves, did separate themselves from the brethren, and did hate them, and s●e from them, as from a toad, or a Snake, was a most absurd thing. In a word, that which to the believers, was a censure as heavy as death, to these men, was not so much as a slea-biting; and therefore these men were not by the Iudgement of the Apostle, liable, to the government of the Church. I wrote unto you( saith the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Corinthians. 5. ver. 9.10 11, 12, 13.) that ye should not company together, with fornicators, and not altogether with the fornicators of this wo●ld, or with the covetous, or with extortioners, or with idolaters, for then ye must go out of the world. But now I haue written unto you, that ye company not together; if any that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner with such a one eat not; for what haue I to do, to judge them also which are without? Do not you judge them that are within? But God shall judge them that are without: where the Apostle plainly sheweth, that the censure of excommunication, did not appertain to the despising Gentiles, nor the wicked of the world, that were without, and were not, nor could not bee called brethren: for these men were to bee left to the fearful judgements of God onely, having none from the Church that they regarded; nor none from the King that he inflicted: and therfore he permitteth none to be governed by the Church, but them that were first within; and secondly were called brethren: so the censure of excommunication fitteth none in the Apostles iudgment, but them that were within. Now it is plain, that the greatest parte of our Church, are no such manner of men: they came not voluntarily unto the Church, but came by compulsion: they were not specially called, but turned Christians with the King: they haue not so much as a temporary faith, but are drowned as deep in unbelief, as the very Gentiles were: they make not so much as a profession of the gospel, but despise the professors and the profession, as much as ever the Gentiles did: they are some of them as grossly ignorant, as ever the Gentiles were: they delight in sin, and are as profane, as ever the Gentiles were: they despise the brethren, the Church, and the censures of the Church, as much as ever the Gentiles did: In a word, in name they are Christians, but in deed, and truth, they are Gentiles: and if wee may rightly count him a heathen, that is excommunicate by the Church: much more may we esteem so of him, that is excommunicate ipso facto, as the law speaketh: That is, that of himself, by his notable sins, without the immediate authority of the Church, is an excommunicate person. Now such men as these; who can call them brethren? And therfore to punish these men by separating them from the Church, that hold it a punishment to be tied & brought unto the Church: to cast out these men from the Church, that desire to be lawfully absent from the Church: to separate these by excommunication from the brethren, that separate themselves from them, and fly from them, as from a serpent, and utterly despise excommunication; is in the iudgement of our aduersaries, a very unfit thing: and therefore if in the Apostles iudgement, the censure of excommunication( the very sword of Ecclesiastical government) pertained only unto brethren; and the greatest part of our Church are none such: then I cannot see, how that government can be thrust of necessity vpon such a people. I confess, that our profane men are worthy, and fittemen to be excommunicate, but excommunication fitteth them not, nor is not worthy of them: it is not fit to give holy things unto dogges; not to cast pearls unto swine; not to set up the holy government ecclesiastical, as vpon a Stage to be made contemptible, and despised of the greatest sort of men. And if it be not now fit in the hand of the great men of the Church, armed with the power of the king, and countenanced by him; and that in the eyes of our aduersaries: how would it be despised among our profane persons, in the hands of the poor Ministers, and base men of the Church? And if now it fitteth not our estate, by their own confession; how would it fit the estate of the primitive Church government? And therefore to hold that such a government, by the will, and commandement of God, is to be set up over such a people, as by the express will and commandment of God, are exempted from that government; is to hold contraries, things impossible, monstrous absurdities, in very reason: and therefore to conclude this point; I hold, that if there were now( as the Brownists haue begun, and as it was in the primitive Church) a separation made of the brethren, from the rest of the profane; these brethren which would be but a poor few, a small number God wot, might be governed by ecclesiastical Discipline, with more reason: but the rest, which are the most parte of the land, were utterly uncapable thereof; and therefore to tie to a people, mixed together, the discipline ecclesiastical, is not according to the Apostles rule; nor ever sprung of the holy spirit of God: as there is one King, one Church, one people of all; so there must be a government fitted for all, that may fear all, Christians in name, and Christians in truth; that may govern all, and that may be reverenced of al sorts of men: which cannot be( as the case, and people stand) the government ecclesiastical.   

REASON IX.  
ANd yet further, I look vpon the persons that did govern, and bare the whole sway in the primitive Church, and I find that the principal ruler there▪ was the preaching Elder: which was the Minister of the Church. And I find● that it is no essential part of the Ministers function, to rule the people with the sword ecclesiastical: and that the Lord under the word 〈◇〉, which is to feed the flock, hath not given a necessary, and essential power to the Church, to rule, and to govern the same, for ever. For if to rule be as essential to the Minister, as it is to preach, and to minister the Sacraments, then it is as notable a sin in the Ministers to omit ruling, as it is to omit preaching, then let them look to this.  
Then the Apostle tha● charged timothy as he would answer before God, and his blessed Christ, to preach the word, should also haue charged as earnestly vpon him, the like diligence, and care, in ruling the slocke.  
Then would Christ also in like manner haue charged his Disciples, to go out into all the world, and to preach and to baptize, and to rule, and govern the Church also: which yet it is plain that he did not.  
If to rule be of the essence of the Minister, then the same power being jointly, and in equal manner, in the lay Elder, the name of the Minister,( which is ever given by the form●, and essential part) must be given to the lay Elder: yea, and if a part of the essential function of the Min●stery, bee essential to the lay Elder, and do stick, and abide really in him, then must also the whole essence, and the form itself of the Minister essentially dwell in the lay Elder, for the form cannot be divided: nor suscipere magis, aut minus: and then by consequent the lay Elder, shall bee made a clergy man, and a lay man, at the same instant, which to hold, is too absurd and gross.  
To punish sin is an essential part of the Kings office: if thou do evil( saith the Apostle to the romans, Chap 13.4.) fear, for the King beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him, that doth evil. Whence it appeareth that to punish sin, is essential to the King, and therefore but accidental to the Ministers, except you will haue all ministers, as Melch●sedeth, to be Priests and Kings.  
The Priests under the Law, were full Priests; and yet they never had authority to rule, or govern the Church, nor to punish sin by any censure at all. Neither did they ever intermeddle therewith; until the kingly power was taken from among their tribes and put into the hands of strangers, that did not punish sin according to the law of God.  
Yea, Iesus Christ, as he was a Minister of the circumcision, and but a Priest onely, by virtue of that office alone, never took vpon h●m power, to rule the Church. And therefore, neither did he inte●meddle in dividing the inheritance,( being thereunto r●ques●ed) between two brethren: neither did he condemn to death the ●ou an taken in adultery: neither did he establish, before he ●as seated in his kingdom, that government of the Church, that he set up afterward. In a word it is confessed of all, that to go●e●ne t●e Church, doth belong to the princely; and therefore not ●nto the Priestly office of Iesus Christ, and therefore if it belong ●ot unto the office of Christ, as he is a Priest, to govern the Church: I cannot see how it can belong to the Ministers of Chr●st, by virtue of their ministerial function: except wee hold ●●e Priesthood of the seruants, to be more ample, and large, then the Priesthood of their Lord, and master was: which to hold, I ●old, to be too absurd, and gross. I conclude therefore, that as ●●e kingly office of Christ, is not essential to the ministry: so ●●e ruling office to govern the Church, is not essential, but one●y accidental thereunto: and therefore may bee absent from ●●em, or present with them, without any hurt or wrong unto them at all: and that it is no perpetual function, everlastingly adjoined to the ministery, and an ordinary thing, appeareth: ●or that the Priests under the law were never at all possessed thereof ●ordinary daies For that the Apostles of Christ, for many daies, ●ere not indu●d with this ruling power: and for that Christ as he ●●s an ordinary Minister, never intermeddled there with. It is ●ame therefore, that it was not in the ministers of the Church, ●●er an essential, or an ordinary matter: but only a branch of the kingly power of Christ that extraordinarily,( by reason that ●●dinarie ●ouerners could not be had) was derived from Christ, ●o the Ministers of Christ, by reason of the present necessity. And therefore, that is was to endure but for a season in them: even until the ordinary, which is the godly king; ●ight be set up in the Church of God. And therefore was then to bee de●●●mined, when kings became Christians: and never after that, ● th●m, to be held as a matter of necessity. And as for the word 〈◇〉, as it signifieth to govern, and to rule: so it is most●● properly applied to the king, and therefore Homer in his iliads, usually calleth Agamemnon, 〈◇〉, that is the ruler, & the prince of the people. But as it signifieth to feed, as the shepherd feedeth the flock: so it is most properly appertaining unto the Ministers. To rule, and to preach, is a double work, and therefore the Apostle tied to the ruling preacher, double honour: the honour of a Priest, and the honour of the prince of the people: both which the Pope still unlawfully challengeth to himself under, and against the Christian Emperour. But for our Ministers, it were more seemly with us, in peace, and humility to want it: then contentiously, I will not say ambitiously, under a Christian King, with the Pope to pursue it. And seeing they see it to be a part of the princely, and no part of the Priestly office of Christ: how is it, that they do not see it to bee much less any part of their Priestly, or ministerial function? and being they see it to be no part of their ministerial office, but a part of the Kingly office of Christ, which is put over to the Kings and Princes of the Church: how is it, that not contented with their ministerial function, they desire, nay dare, to take vpon themselves, and intermeddle with a Kingly office, and encroach vpon the office of the King, whereunto( it being no part of their calling) they haue no extraordinary calling by God, in these our dayes of peace, nor ordinary, by the Church by God? And being they see it to be a matter accidental, befalling the minister extraordinarily, as the fittest man to govern the persecuted Church, in the absence, and total want of the Christian King: how is it, that they see it not as an accident of that nature, to be lawfully absent from them, under a godly King? And then if under a godly King, it may lawfully be absent from the Minister, that claimeth a special interest therein: much more may it be lawfully absent from the inferior flock, and the lay people, from out of whom the lay Elders were taken: and therefore can claim a lesser interest therein, then their superior Ministers: which are in this case every way privileged above them. If then it may bee wanting in the Minister and in his flock, then it may be wanting in that one Church, then in every one; and if it may be wanting in the parts, then the same being the reason of the whole, and the parts, it may be wholly wanting in the whole Church, that is governed by a godly King.   

REASON. X.  
ANd yet further, I look into the procreant cause, that first brought forth ecclesiastical Discipline, & I find that to be ●●e want of godly kings, and the want of care, and iustice, in the heathen Kings: & so by consequent, the mere necessity of such government to be established, first brought it into the Church ●f God. For in the dayes of david, Salomon, Ezekias, josias, and or●inarily of all the Kings of judah, the Sannedrim, that is, the ●uling council of Elders, and excommunication, the very sword and power ecclesiastical, was not so much as once name, much ●esse in use in the Church, by any commandment from God: but all sins were there, and then punished, by no ecclesiastical, ●ut by the civil magistrate, and by power merely civil, according to the Law of Moyses. But when persecution raged in the jewish Church, when the kingdom was departed from judah, and a lawgiver from between his legs, when strangers rose up, & bore rule, that feared not God, nor looked to the execution of iustice, according to the law of God: then for want of other Iustices, and justicers, rose up the Sannedrim: to bridle by the censures of the Church,( which onely were left free for them lawfully to use) the lesser sins so accounted: for as for the greater which were punished by the Kings of the Gentiles, them they intermeddled not with. Then wee red that the high Priests had determined to use excommunication,( a thing never before heard of among the Iewes) against them that believed in Christ. Whence it appeareth that ecclesiastical Discipline sorted not with godly and Christian Kings, that it stood not with the peaceable estate of the Church, and that it was no ordinary kind of government: but altogether extraordinary, accompanying the troubled, and persecuted estate of the Church. And as it never was in use during the time of the godly Kings: so neither could it, nor should it haue been in use, had the like godly rulers still carried the sway in the jewish Church. For that policy of God that was for the former times, and under the former kings, all sufficient for the absolute government of the jewish estate: should haue been under the like, for after times, as suffiicient for the absolute governing of them: and therefore being as sufficient for those latter, as for the former times, it should haue been as needless in the last dayes, as it was in the first: and therefore as well haue been wanting in the latter dayes, as it was in the former: and so, as a needless government, in the full light of the former all sufficient, haue been still put out, and wholly wanting in the ecclesiastical estate of the Iewes.  
And yet further it is confested by our brethren, that the ecclesiastical government by them so desired, is in effect the same, that the jewish persecuted Church, governed by the Sanneorita, first brought into use: which being so, plainly sheweth, that the Ecclesistaical Discipline was not first brought into the Church by the power of Iesus Christ. Neither was it then set up as a parcel of the kingdom of Christ. Neither was held as any part of the gospel of Christ: for it was brought into the Church before the father had given all power to his son in heaven, and in earth, before he had received as yet the kingdom. Yea before the dayes of the gospel: yea before Christ Iesus was as yet come in the flesh. And therefore it was not brought into the Church, first by Christ as our brethren would seem to beleeue, and persuade us with them to beleeue, as the power of Iesus, for the perpetual government of his kingdom the Church: but it was first brought in by the jewish Church, in the more want of the other government of God, by the gentle Kings by strong hand with-held. Seeing therefore that this ecclesiastical Discipline was never brought in by Moyses, the first lawgiver: nor yet at the first by Christ, the second lawgiver: nor never in use in all the dayes of the godly jewish kings: no nor never should haue been in use in all their peaceable estate: And in that it came first into the Church in the persecuted estate thereof, and when all godly kings were utterly taken away and wanting: It must needs follow, that onely very necessity, and the want of godly kings to govern the Church, first, brought it into the Church of God.  
And this will the better appear, if we look into the primitive Church, where this ecclesiastical Discipline was in the greatest use: for in that it will more manifestly appear, that mere necessity there set it up; for there was thē a Church: Ergo, a body. A body, if it keep his good constitution, must be governed well: this body therefore of the Church that it might be well; must be governed well: that it might be governed well, there must be good gouernours, and good laws, by the which the gouernours must govern well, this good and well composed body of Christ. But where should they haue gouernours to look to this body of God? The Kings and Princes of the earth, the ordinary rulers to whom it belonged, refused it; and all the Gentill rulers refused it; ordinary rulers therefore there were not any to bee had: Nay, where should they haue rulers Christian for the body of Christ? Should they, or could they fetch them from gentle, and Heathen Kings? There was utterly then a want of all ordinary rules, and rulers for the government of this body Ecclesiastical, which was the Church of Christ; the ordinary therefore being wanting, Christ extraordinarily from heaven reached them forth laws, and raised them up governors extraordinary from among themselves, their ruling Pastors, or chosen Elders: and withall, put into their hands a sword spiritual and ecclesiastical( excommunication I mean) which he borrowed of the former jewish Church. And to make it exceeding sharp, he tied thereunto a curse, far more fearful then temporal death: and thus in the want of ordinary, Christ for those dayes raised up extraordinary rulers, to govern the body of the Church; all which plainly speaketh, that for the very want of the ordinary Magistrate to govern the Church, the ecclesiastical government sprung up first And for the better beholding of this, consider, I pray you, what sins the Apostle in the fift to the Corinthians chargeth the Church of Corinth to censure by excommunication, and you shall find them to be idolatry, adultery, covetousness, extortion, railing, and drunkenness: all which to bee no sins, the Heathen Gentiles were fully persuaded, or at the least sins of that small account, as that the Kings and rulers of the Heathen needed not to intermeddle therewith. All which I could well prove out of Heathen Authors, if I thought that any man would once make a question thereabout. These sins then being not punished by the Heathen Kings, must of necessity bee punished by rulers of the Church, or else it must be left ●ree for the men of the Church to run without bridle into these notable sins: had the ordinary Magistrate therefore punished these sins, as they did the other, that they counted the grosser sins, the extraordinary Magistrates of the Church should not haue needed no more to punish those lesser sins then they needed to haue punished the other which were the greater; for why did not the Church as well punish the greater sins as the lesser? was it not because the civil Kings did that? The want therefore of the civil government brought in, and set a foot the ecclesiastical: This want therfore being taken away, and the ordinary godly King being set in the church of God, the procreant cause of their Ecclesiastical government is utterly taken away; and so the groundwork and pillar thereof being taken away, it must needs, as the philistines house pulled down by samson, fall utterly to the ground: and if without this his first, his right and his just cause it standeth; without any right, just or necessary cause it standeth in the Church of God: the Christian Magistrate is not taken out, and therefore no cause now is, as then was, to bring ecclesiastical Discipline in.   

REASON XI.  
AND yet I go further, and I look into the m●ine body of the Church, as it stood in gross, in his first and primitive times; and I see that it was a kind of body, clean differing from that which now it is: for in regard of the multitude of believers whereof it confisted, it was called a pure body, but now there be many open sinners therein: then the Church was a body simplo, of itself: absolute without any composition; but when it came under a Christian King that brought with him a kingdom beside, of people al vnbeleeuing before then it did manifestly degenerate into another nature; and of a simplo, became a compound body; for both the Church and the Common-wealth, grew into one compound body: mixed together of the Church, and the weal public, the visible head whereof was the King: which being but in a word spoken, I desire at large to lay open to every mans view; and therefore I boldly avouch, that in the primitive time there was a plain difference, and an open separation, between the Common-wealth and the Church they were as two several Cities; the one heavenly, the other altogether earthly. And as two diuers Cities, they had their two diuers regiments: they were as two diuers standing camps, having their several Generals, their several colonels, their several Captaines, and their several Standard bearers; they were as two several kingdoms, having their several laws and constitutions, their several Kings and under-officers; they had their diuers Gods, their diuers faith, their diuers rites and ceremonies, their diuers professions, their diuers religions and worshippings of God, their diuers members, their diuers companies, their diuers and several places for Church-assemblies, their diuers officers and rulers several, differing one from the other. In jerusalem, there was the Church of Christ, governed by the Apostles, the evangelists, and the Elders of the Church, and this was one body: again in the same jerusalem, there was Pontius Pilate, the high Priests, the Scribes, and pharisees, together with the rest of the vnbeleeuing Iewes. and this was another body, having another head, another spirit, and other kind of members. But now, especially with us, this division and separation between the Church, and the weal public, is utterly abolished, and taken away; the King doth not divide himself from the Minister; nor the commonweal doth not separate itself from the Church; neither are the members of the commonweal one, and the members of the Church another: they haue not their several Churches, their several Synagogues, their several professions, their several rites, and ceremonies; they are not disiomed in their God, in their faith, in their spirit, in their bapt●sme, in their body, in their head: the King cometh to the Church, and the Church cometh to the King: they join together in one Church in one God, in one faith, in one baptism, in one spirit, in one Christ, in one holy profession, in one body: they are all builded as jerusalem, that is at unity in itself: they are all one army; the host of the great God: they are all one kingdom; and that is the kingdom of Christ: all the members of the Church, are the members of the commonweal: and all the members of the commonweal, are the members of the Church; the same with us, is the commonweal and the Church: al the people are as the people of the jews; a holy nation, a royal Priesthood, a kingly people, by profession & baptism. And albeit there be with us a multitude of cast-awaies, that to every good work are reprobate; yet these make not a diuers body, for in the visible Church there be Goates as well as sheep; chaff as well as corn, cockle as well as wheat; and yet but one Church: Yea, there be diuers offices, and several functions; some spiritual, some temporal and yet but one body. In the commonweal there be some counsellors, some Chancellers, some Iudges some Iustices, some Captaines, and one King; and yet these diuers offices make not a diuers body politic. In the primitive Church, there were some spiritual Ministers, some Lay Elders( as they say) some Deacons for the poor, and some aged widows; and yet but one body ecclesiastical. In the body of a man there be diuers several parts, having several functions; there is the mouth, there is the nose, there are the eyes and the hands, there is the flesh that is earthly, and the spirits that are heavenly; and yet all make not two bodies, but one body: In a man there is his visible, and material body, and his spiritual soul; and yet these diuers natures make not two, but one man. There are in the Parliament that representeth the whole estate, the Burgesses of the lower house, the Lords temporal, and the spiritual lords, and there is one King the head of all this body: the ministry is a several calling; but it maketh not now a several state, a several body, as it did in the primitive times, but it is coupled with the weal public, and groweth with it into one body, under one head, which is the Christian King, as once did the whole jewish estate under david their head and King: and thus the whole kingdom of the land, is become the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of Christ, is the kingdom of the land, which could not be said of the primitive Church. And thus of two states before the faith, they are become one state in the faith: of two bodies before, they are grown into one new body●; exceeding much differing every way, from the ecclesiastical body of the primitive Church. For now this new body, coming into composition with the weal public, hath thereby received a member, higher, and nobler then the former visible head; and that which in the new making of this body must not be set below the former head, but according to his highnes, be placed aloft, and be made the head of this new composed body: and this eminent member, excelling the head of the former visible Church, is the Christian King, who, as we all subscribe, is become the head of this our English Church. This body therefore must needs be changed, for it hath changed his head, the very main and principal parte of the body: for the head of the primitive Church were the Apostles, and after them the Bishops( as we say)( the eldership, as our brethren say) but the head of this Church is the King, as we all say: Yea, with the new head, answerable, and proportionable thereunto; it hath received other, and new organical members, I mean the Nobles and the peers of the land; the council and the chancellor of the Kings; the Captaines of war, and the Iudges of the land: all which being once the members organical of the commonweal, are now with their head, become the members organical of our English Church▪ serving every one of them, as hands directed by their own head, to defend the faith, to maintain the gospel, to uphold the sincerity, and purity of Christian Religion, the profession, and the Preaching of the word of God. Yea to beat down all the enemies of the gospel, by the power of the sword: whether they be foreign, in other lands, or the domestical enemies of the church: whither they be the disobedient in life, or erroneous in doctrine. Aduetie once belonging to the Eldership; but now made common to them: which thing was not so in the primitive Church: and that which is more, all the laws of the land, are in right the laws of the Church, and the ecclesiastical laws, are the kings ecclesiastical laws: & no longer the laws proper to the church; and all the rulers of the Church, are at the kings pleasure, to attend the affairs of the commonweal. And that which is yet a farther point; this new formed body hath received not only new organical members: but other inferior members, of lesser & base note: in their very nature differing from the ancient & proper members of the primitive Church: members, lead with another spirit, and moved with another spirit,( and therefore to be governed with another spirit) then those of the primitive Church. For there were no visible members, but such as came thereunto by a special calling: being won thereunto, and brought thither, by the power of the Gospel, and mighty work of the spirit. But now there is a great number added unto our Church, that never came by any special calling; but onely for company came, and turned of necessity with the king their head: men( their baptism onely excepted) utterly irreligious, and heathen, and nothing like unto the ancient members of the ancient primitive Church. And these are they that astonish and amaze our brethren, the Ministers especially, as not knowing what to say unto them, how to rule them, how to deal with them, how to Minister unto them the Lords Supper. These are to them heteroclites, that is men out of their rule, and without the compass of their card; to admit them to the Lords Supper they are afraid, for they judge them not worthy; and to cast them out of the Church they dare not, least they should jump with the Brownists, that would cut them off, and throw them out of the Church again, and set them in that their old place, wherein they stood before their coming for company with the king: and then as they shall be called specially, so to receive them into the Church, as the primitive Church did: that the members of this Church, and that, might bee alike. For herein they plainly, and truly see; the members of this Church, and the members of the primitive Church, do differ exceedingly: and thereby give us, and all to understand: that these must bee governed by other rulers, then those of the primitive Church: and by other rulers, then the Eldership: even by that head, whereof they are members, and that head is the king; seeing then that this body is of a simplo, become a compound; and hath received more members, and that of another body, and of another sort and kind; and hath received another head, and so is become a new, and another kind of body, then that of the primitive Church: It followeth, that this new body must not be governed with the old form of the primitive Church, but altogether with another, and a new form. For this is ever usual, and ever constant, in the whole course of nature, and in every work of God, to give unto a new body, another, and a new form, to govern and rule it by. See it in man, whom God made of the day of the ground; and yet is not ruled by the form of the ground, but by the breath which the Lord breathed into the face of man: which is another form, differing clean from that of the earth. All the trees, and plants of the earth, God made to grow and to spring out of the earth; and to every one of these, he gave his diverse form: the three of life had his, the three of knowledge had his, the rose hath his, the violet hath his; yea every bide of the air, made of the air, hath his; every fish of the sea, hath his form diverse from the sea; the Whale hath his, the Salmon hath his, the carp hath his, the Pike hath his: yea the four Elements being simplo, haue their simplo, and their several forms. But coming into composition, they loose and let go their several forms; & submit themselves to another, & a new form: the Mouse that is made of the slime of the Egyptian Nilus, liveth not by the form of the Nilus slime; nor the Bee, that is made of the heifer, is not ruled by the form of the heifer; nor the worm that is bread of man, liveth not by the reasonable soul of man, every new body hath to rule it, a new form. Yea our brethren corrupted in their old man, are become a new, and strange sort of men & labouring to bri●g in a new government, haue lost their old light of reason, to govern their iudgement by, and pretending to set up the gospel▪ deface the law of God, & the law of nature, imprinted in al things, that ever God made. Oh how are our ●isemen become fools, and the ancient men become children ●n understanding? where is their wise heart, and understanding ●n all other things? what is become of their enlightened mind? ●ow haue their eyes lost their wonted light, and become dim? ●hat they cannot see this work of God, imprinted in every work ●f God, and ever before their eyes, which way soever they turn ●●eir eyes; whether they look vpon the elements, or vpon the Sea, or vpon the earth, or vpon the plants of the earth, or upon ●●e beasts of the earth, or vpon the fowles of the air, or vpon the fishes of the Sea, vpon man, or worms bread of man, or vpon ●ay of the works of God; they cannot, whithersoever their eyes all, but see, that every body made new, is ever governed ●ith a new form; & yet they that can see it in every other thing, ●●e blinded, and cannot see it in this. But if they haue any eyes ●eft, or any light in their eyes; if they are not become blind and ●inke not; I will show them this, by my conclusion, which is this: Namely, that the Church, of a simplo element before, being to come into composition and to be coupled with another element, simplo before, which was the commonweal, and so being ioy●ed with another, to become another, and a new body, is to bee governed after another manner, and with a new form of government, differing from the old form of the primitive Church government: that this work of God, might be answerable unto, and conformable with the work of God, in every work of God, and not become, being the most comely of the creatures of God, a Monster in nature, in his nature, differing from the ordinary, ●●e universal, perpetual, constant, and ever one, and the same course of nature; which nature, is the very created power of God, & the very power of Iesus the Lord to govern aright, and to his ●ight end, this his Church, and every other creature of God.  
And being that this body hath changed his head, and the former head is become a lower member in this body: how standeth it with reason, that any inferior member should govern the head and the whole body besides, and having lost his old place, should govern still, as if he had not lost his old place? and being not the head; should rule still the whole, as if he were the head?  
And being this body hath members, as iudges and Captaines, that the old head cannot inspire with life, and being, how standeth it with nature, that this head should rule still as head, these members that are inspired with another spirit, and with the spirits of another head then that?  
And seeing that the Church, and the commonweal are joined together, and grown into one body: how is it, that our brethren hold a necessity of two heads to govern this one body? as a Pope or a presbytery to govern the Church: and a king to govern the commonweal? or how standeth it with nature, and philosophy, divine, or human, to hold a necessity of two forms,( a civil, and an ecclesiastical form) to govern one, and the same body? Fie, let them for shane leave of to hold such strange, and monstrous assertions.   

REASON XII.  
ANd here, the better to show this new change, in this new body, I will offer to your consideration the particular changeable partes, of the primitive changeable, and changed Church-Gouernement: and herein first I will let you see, that excommunication, the very sword, the sceptre, and power of the primitive Church government, is in the iudgement of all, to be exchanged with other more effectual coertions, in this confused, and mixed Church of ours. And as for the Iudgement of the King, the Iudgement of the counsel of the land, and the Iudgement of the learned fathers of the land, it appeareth, by the conference that is extant, which his excellent majesty had, together with his honourable, gracious, and wise counsel, with the reverent Fathers, the Lord Bishops of the land: that they were resolved, instead of excommunication, to set up some other coercion, that had in it, a more effectual power to redress and to repress sin. It seemed no doubt unto their wisedoms, an unreasonable thing, that the vnbeleeuing part, that were with the ancient Kings of the land turned Protestants, should again by excommunication bee cast out of the Church: but rather that they should bee brought unto the Church: whether they were brought, and whether they came to bee taught. by the Church. It seemed no unlawful thing unto them, to exchange excommunication, the weighty censure of the Church, with other more effectual: but this rather seemed unto them, an unlawful thing, to make contemptible the holy censure ecclesiastical: or to use, or rather abuse the ancient censure of the Church, to overthrow the Church, & the spreading of the Church; & to the making of a schism in the Church: and a separation, between the Church again, & the commonweal, as the Brownists do; and so to the overthrowing again of the union: & by the means of the Church, that, other Kings, & God by other Kings, had builded: & therfore that it were better, that excommunication should be thrust, & shut out the Church, then that excommunication should thrust and shut out the Church: and that the use of it could not stand, nor as it was once, be now put i● use, except it thrust out from the Church, the disobedient part whic● is the greatest part of the Church; out of the which the Church must gather a multitude, and a farther increase to itself: and therfore that excommunicat●on sleeping, some other fit censure, merely civil, should be put in use, that should govern the believing, & the vnbeleeuing part: & further altogether, & no whit impair, or impeach the growth, & good estate of the whole Church, as now it standeth. And as for our aduersaries: themselves hold( as appeareth by their own profession, & by their often suits to the Parliament) that excommunication, the only censure ecclesiastical, in the cases of adultery, Idolatry, heresy▪ & such like, as being too light, under a Christian king, is to be exchanged with death. So that in the iudgement of all, excommunication the principal part of ecclesiastical government, is a matter changeable, under a Christian prince. If then the principal part therof be changeable, no question, but the whole government itself is changeable, & altogether mutable, as well as that is  
And here I hope, that our aduersaries will easily grant, that these men were not ignorant of the power of Iesus, and the gift of the keys, bestowed by Iesus vpon the Church. All which power notwithstanding, and gift of the keys, they saw, and that wisely, and truly, that the sword of excommunication might be closed up in his sheathe, and as a needless one, be laid aside; under a godly and Christian king. For the gift of Christ doth not make excommunication perpetual unto the Church. Christ ascending up on high, saith the Apostle, lead captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men; and the gifts that he gave, are there reckoned up by the Apostle: he gave some Apostles, some Prophets, some evangelists, &c. And: yet notwithstanding the gift of the Apostles, Apostles are ceased, and Prophets, notwithstanding the gift of Prophets, are ceased, and evangelists, notwithstanding the gifts of evangelists are ceased: and the key of excommunication, notwithstanding the gift of that key may surcease under a Christian king. The office of the high Priest was given by God unto Aaron, and his seed, by a perpetull decree, and yet notwithstanding the perpetuity thereof, by express words, confirmed to Aaron by God himself, the Priest-hood was altered with the law, and transferred to another, even to Iesus, that was of the tribe of Iuda, by an everlasting decree of God. Much more excommunication being tied to the Church by no perpetual decree of God, or of Christ, may bee altered with the visible estate of the Church, and may bee taken away from the peaceable, that was given to the persecuted Church of Christ. Who knoweth not that there are gifts temporary, and eternal; for lives, and for ever: estates onely for certain terms, and perpetuities. Especially, that under offices are arbitrary, and removable from person to person, at the pleasure of the high and chief Lord and king, Iesus.  
But be it that excommunication by the gift of Christ is affixed to the Church by a perpetual decree, so that it may not be taken utterly away: yet the use of it may be discontinued, though the right, and interest therein, do abide perpetually in the Church, For the gift of it to the Church by Christ, doth not bind the Church unseasonably, or without urgent, and just cause to put into use this power, or to draw out the sword of excommunication: even as the word, & the gift of the Sacraments, by Christ bestowed vpon the church, are not every day, or every hour of the day. or every minute of the hour, to be put into execution by the Church▪ because that by Christ they are given to the Church, but onely then, when necessity, and just occasion so requireth: a father bestoweth a dagger vpon his son, not that he should ever be stabbing therewith. A master giveth his seruant a sword, not that he should carry it ever drawn in his hand, or ever be fighting, or smiting therewith: bu● onely then, when necessity, or just occasion offereth itself: So Iesus hath given unto his Church the sword of excommunication onely then to goody used, when necessity & urgent occasion so requireth. But under a Christian p ince, punishing all sins by his sword civil, there can be no such necessary use, or urgent occasion, to use that sword of excommu●ication. It may therefore he closed up in his scabbard, and be l●yd aside in such dayes, and under such Kings: and yet again be drawn out, and put into use, in the dayes of persecuting kings. And this is not to take away that which Christ hath given to his spouse, the Church: but onely to use it in his fit time, and place; even then, and there, and onely then, and there, to use it, when and where, there is fit use for it.  
And thus you see vpon how weak principles, and unsound ground, our brethren build the necessity, and perpetual use of excommunication in the Church: and thus you see, that notwithstanding the gift of the keys, which is their main proof, for the ●●tting up of discipline, the key of excommunication may bee ●●yd by, under a Christian King. And then if excommunication which is the power of Iesus, for the government of his perse●●ted Church, and the very sword, and principal part of the primitive Church government, may be wanting, & abolished, under a Christian King: out of all question, the very primitive government, which cannot bee without this, may bee taken a●ay in like manner, and utterly abolished in the peaceable dayes of the Church. And if the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes, soundly proveth the abolishing of the ceremonial ●●w, by the abolishing of the Priest-hood, which was the principal part thereof, and served for the execution of the law ceremonial: then this reason of ours, that proveth the lawful ●aking away of excommunication out of the Church, under a ●odly King▪ soundly proveth the lawful taking away of the primitive Church government under a godly, and a Christian King.   

REASON XIII.  
IN the next place, I look into the ecclesiastical officers, of the primitive Church; I mean the ruling Elders: and I see, that ●●ey, in like manner are in a Christian kingdom, justly exchanged, with a more excellent ruler, which is the godly, and the christian King; whom our aduersaries aclowledge by their ●●bscription to the supremacy, to be the principal, and supreme governor in the church over all persons: that is over the Mini●ters, over the Elders and over all th● flock, that before were vn●er the ruling Elders: and that in all causes, whither they are matters of instance, 〈◇〉 matters of crime; in matters of whoredom ●f Sla●●er●or●●●●●nne●ie, of usury; and in a w●●●, of all those causes, wherein the Elders sat as Iudges, in the primitive Ch●rch; in all those causes, now sitteth the King, and the officers under the King, as Iudges, to give righteous iudgement therein. To him therefore coming into the Church, the ruling Elder resigned, and gave up his sword: To him, and to his rule, the church that before was under the eldership, submitted itself; and looked, and waited for iustice, from his hands: of the primitive Church one of the fathers said, that the Church knew nothing greater therein then the bishop, but wee know one greater then the bishop, even the sacred person, and power of the king. For do you suppose, that when the King came to the Church, that then there came but a private person, that was to be under the rule and power of the Church, and to be topped by the eldership? I tell you noe: he came a public person, to rule, and to take into his hand, out of the hand of the Elders, the whole government of the Church of God; to govern them, that before were governing Elders, to govern all them, that before were governed by the Elders: yea, and to govern them in the same cases, and in all the same affairs, wherein they were governed before by the ruling Elders of the Church. There is therefore another ruler sprung up in the Church, and that planted by God, that the primitive Church never knew: and that is the King, that hath authority from God to rule there, and a sword for that purpose given him of God: as the Elders before him had authority to rule there, and a special sword given unto them for that purpose from God The King therfore now is to govern the church by his power, and to be Custos viriusque tabulae: which is all that the ruling Elders had to do in the primitive Church. And this is so apparent, that it cannot be denied: the light hereof shineth upon our enemies, and they confess the King to be such a one indeed. The Lord that before put Pastors and Elders in trust with his body, which is the Church, and committed the rule therof into their hands, hath now in stead of them, made choice of more excellent guardians: even of the Kings, and Princes of the world, and hath committed to their trust, the same body of his, that before he put into the hands, and custody of the ruling Elders: and of these dayes, and of this change, spake the Prophet before, forewarned thereof, by the spirit, and forewarning us thereof by the spirit of God, saying, thou shalt suck the breasts of Kings, and Princes shall give thee milk, Esa. 60.10.16. And again, I will make Kings thy nou●sing fathers, and queens thy nursing mothers, Esa. 49.23. Where it is plain, that the Prophet  told aforehand of these daies, and that the after times should come, wherein God would change the hearts of the gentle Kings, and out of them raise up gouernours, that should feed, as nurses, his chosen in Israell, with the milk of iudgement, and with the rod of iustice: and rule them prudently with all their heart, as once david did the people of God. The holy man of God therefore, l●d by the spirit of God, hath prophesied afore hand of these times, and of this new governor to come from God, and hath thereby given us a sure warrant from God, that the will of God is, that the base officers of the persecuted Church, should in better daies, be exchanged, with more excellent ones: namely, with Kings, and Princes, which being not to govern with the ecclesiastical sword, but with the civil, haue power( by consequent) in stead of the ecclesiastical sword taken away, to set up, as all sufficient, their own rule in the whole Church of God: and in place of the former, that must give place to theirs, to place, and set fast their own. So that with the new governor of the Church, the old government must needs be changed: and in stead of the ecclesiastical, which onely was in the hands of the ruling Elders, must be set up the civil sword, which onely, by God, is put into the hands of the King, therewith to govern the whole land, and Church. And indeed by necessary consequent it followeth, that if by God there be set up a new kind of ruler, with a new kind of sword, to rule the Church withall: then there must needs be set up a new kind of rule, a new sword, a new sceptre, a new government, in the whole Church of God: and so every part of the primitive government, being changed, the whole of nece●sity must be changed in that.  
And here I must admonish our aduersaries of three things; first that the common distinction of the civil, and the ecclesiastical sword, doth not destroy, nor overthrow this argument of mine: for though the King may not rule with the ecclesiastical sword, whereof he hath no need; yet he may as sufficiently rule the Church with his civil sword, without the ecclesiastical; as the ecclesiastical ruler could govern it, with his ecclesiastical sword, without the civil: yea, in stead of destroying of our reason, it doth strengthen it more; for in that they confess that the King may govern the Church by his civil sword: the bringing in of that argueth the throwing out of the other: the setting up of that, argueth the pulling down of the other: even as the bringing in of the new law of Christ, argued the disannulling, of the old law of Moses, as the Apostle reasoneth to the Hebrewes.  
Secondly, the distinction of the civil, and ecclesiastical persons, doth not dissolve this argument of mine. For though the king be not a mere ecclesiastical person; yet we haue made a question of it, and proved, that being but a civil person, he may for government in the Church, d●e all that the ecclesiastical Elders might do: for he is now, what they were before. he is now, as they were once, custos vtriusque tabulae: that is, the executioner of either table of the Law. And here it is now too late to run in a ring, and to run back to the distinction of the ecclesiastical sword, and the civil; which to prevent, we haue taken away that before. It is enough for us, that he may do the same, being a civil Magistrate, that the Church elder might do before; though he may not do it, the same way, nor with the same manner of instrument. For what helpeth it them, or what hurteth it us, to say, that the King may govern as the Elder did, and in stead of him? mary he must not do it with a leaden dagger, but with a bright and a sharp two edged sword, of steel: he may not govern the Church with the blunt sword of excommunication, but with the guilded, shining, glittering, and in ameled sword of civil iustice.  
Thirdly, I admonish our aduersaries, that the question between us, is not principally, about the censures of the primitive Church, which they deny not, but that we do enjoy; But the main question is about the persons, that should censure the Church, and the manner or kind of censures to bee used in the Church government: the persons that should censure the church, they deny to be Arch-bishopps, B●shops, commissaries, or officials; and affirm, to be the pastors, and their supposed several Elders of every Church. But I hold that the very Pasto●s and elders, dreamed of under a Christian king, are not to govern of neces●ity without commission from the King. And that it is the King, that may, and ought to censure all offenders in the Church as once the ruling Elders did: and that not by the censures Ecclesi●sticall, whereof he hach no need, but onely by his power and authority civil, which is of itself all sufficient thereunto without the ecclesiastical,   

REASON. XIIII.  
AND now to show this, and yet to go on with my intended purpose, I must in the very entry encounter an opinion, by our brethren broached, exceeding derogatory to the kingdom of Christ: which holdeth, that the kingdom of Christ, is confined within the bounds of his Church, & there determined, where he ceaseth his medi●●ion; but these men that thus shut up his kingdom within the limits of his Priesthood, speak at random, and without all sound ground of the word: for his Priesthood is not for the world: but for the believers of the world: his med●●aion is for his friends: but his kingdom is for his enemies, that he might destroy and overcome them: according as it is writtt●n be thou ruler in the midst, even among th●ne enemies ●●en among the Iewes, that crucified thee, the King of the Iewes among the Gentiles, that persecuted thy body; which is the Ch●●ch; among the Turkes, which sight against the beloved city.  
All power, saith Christ, is given to me, in heaven, and in earth, Mat. 28.18. The kingdom then is not divided between the father and ●he son, with these conditions: that the father should govern the Iewes, the Turkes and the Gentiles, and the son, the believers, and the faith ull: for then all power were not given to the son, but some power, and that the greatest, reserved to the father.  
The father( saith John the Baptist, John 3. ver. 35.) loveth the son, and hath given all things into his hands. Iesus( saith John chap. 13.3.) knew that the father had gi●en all into his hands: not some things, but all things; not the Church onely, which is but some parte of his all things: but all Churches, all nations, all tongues, all people, all realms, and kingdoms whatsoever, even all.  
The Father iudgeth no man,( saith Christ, John. 7.22, 23.) but hath committed all iudgement to the son, ver. 27, Yea, even as he is the son of man, that all men might honour the son, as they honour the Father. The kingly seat then, and throne of iudgement, which once the fathers was, and wherein as Souereig●e and King, he sat to rule, and judge all nations, and kingdoms of the world, this kingly seat, and ●oyall power, hath the father given over unto his ●onne Christ: but the power of God was o●er all nations: Erg●, the power of Christ is over all nations: the father iudgeth no man: the turk is a man, the jew is a man, the Heathen man is a man: none of these are judged, none therefore ruled by the father, but all by the son Christ; the Father hath given that honour of the kingdom, that royal, and kingly power to the son, which once was his, that all men might honour the son, as they honour the father.  
ask of me( saith the father, to his king Christ, set down upon his holy hill, Psal. 2.8, 9. That is, residing in jerusalem that is above, even at the right hand of his father) and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost partes of the earth for thy possession. His kingdom then is over all the nations of the earth: Yea, over the very Heathen: and it is not, as the Church is, shut up in a little corner of the earth: but stretcheth itself to the furthermost parts of the earth: and that not to govern them as his Church, by his word and spirit; but with an iron rod to break them in pieces like a Potters vessel; not like his children, whom being broken, he healeth again by his own blood.  
david notably defineth the very breadth, and length, the greatness, and the exceeding largeness of the kingdom of Christ, Psal. 72.8.9.10.11. His Dominion, saith he, shall be from one sea, to the other: from the floods, round about unto the ends of the world. Before him shall the Barbarians bow themselves; his enemies shall lick the dust, the Kings of the Oceane, and the Islands, shall bring him gifts: the Kings of Sheba, and Seba, shall do him service. Finally all Kings shall bow themselves to him; all Nations shall do him service. What can be more plainly spoken for his kingdom over all Churches, and realms, Iewes, and Gentiles, yea over all the world, I cannot possibly see, or imagine.  
There is a kingdom ascribed unto Christ, that is an everlasting kingdom, Psal. 45.7. Dan. 2.44. & 7.14. Thy throne O God, saith Salomon,( speaking of Christ) is for all ages world with out end. And there is a kingdom ascribed unto Christ, that he shall resign again to his father, and that shall haue an end. Then cometh the end, saith the Apostle, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God the father. 1. Cor. 15.24. That kingdom, that shall haue no end, is over his saved, and redeemed onely. over whom, being his body, Christ shall ever abide the head. yea after the universal dissolution of the world. Ergo, that kingdom that shalbe resigned, being another, differing from this, cannot be that his kingdom that is only over his body, the Church: but it must be that his universal kingdom over his enemies. As it is said, he must reign, till he haue put all all his enemies under his feet: his kingdom therfore, and that which shall haue an end, is over his friends to save them, and over his enemies, to destroy them.  
It is a part of his kingdom, to raise from dead, and bring into iudgement all flesh, 2. Tim. 4.1. and over them, as a King, to sit in his glorious throne, and iudgement seat, and pronounce a sentence irrevocable of life, or death everlasting. But this power to judge, is over all Nations; yea over quick, and dead: for therefore he died, and rose again, that he might be Lord over quick, and dead. Ergo, His kingdom is as large as his iudgement is, 2. Tim. 4.1.2. Which is over more, then over his Church: and far larger, then his office of mediation is, for he is the saviour of his Church, but judge of all.  
Because he humbled himself saith Paul, to the death of the cross: therefore he hath a name,( that is a power, and authority given him) above all names( whither they be the names of Churches, or of commonweals: whither they be the names of Emperours, or Kings) that at the name of Iesus all knees should bow: of things in heaven, and things in earth, & things under the earth. Philip. 2.8.9.10. He meaneth that God hath given him a kingdom over all Angels, over all divels, over all Churches, and commonweals: over all things on the earth, bee they men, or others.  
Else how should he bee the fift Monarch of the earth, that should take to himself the kingdom from the rest of the kingdoms, and give it to the high Saincts. Dan. 7.14.27. and 2.34.35.44.  
The Angel  told his mother mary, that unto him should bee given the kingdom of his father david, Luke 1.32.33. But the kingdom of david did not govern the Church onely, but the weal public; the government therefore of the kingdom of Christ, reacheth not onely to the Church, but to the commonweal: else the kingdom of Christ, is not as ample, as the kingdom of david was.  
Thou art a Priest, saith God to his Christ, after the order of Melchisedech; Heb. 7.1. But Melchisedech was King of Salem, a little city of Canaan, and the Priest of the strong high God, such a one therefore must Christ be: even a ruler, not onely over the Church; but a king over the weal public: or else the shadow shall be greater then the body.  
The time would fail me, if I should stand to allege all the proofs pregnant in the Scripture, to give witness to this controversy in hand, these are all sufficient, to let our aduersaries see, that not onely the Church is the kingdom of Christ: but weals public are a part of the kingdom of, Christ, as well as Churches are: and that his kingdom is over all, both Churches, and commonweals. So ample and so large, the kingdom of Christ is; howsoever our aduersary-brethren,( that of all men would seem most desirous to set up the kingdom of Christ, to their greater sin, & to the great dishonouring of Christ, vpon small reason God wot) deny this. But by this it appeareth, that feigning to bee the greatest friends of that their Master and Lord Christ, they betray him, and the greatest part of his kingdom: which with one consent, they conspire to take away from him, & to yield up again into the hands of the father; that before had yielded this into the hands of his first begotten, and beloved, the heir of this world, and all worlds to come: and going about to establish their own kingdom, they destroy the kingdom of Christ, and labouring to enlarge their own Dominion, and rule, they curtaile and diminish the kingdom of the Lord Christ. And therefore I cannot but in the zeal of my Lord, and king Christ, bid defiance unto, and wage battle with this their opinion, that denieth the kingdom of my Lord and king Iesus. And hold him, if it were an angel from heaven, accursed, that should preach me another gospel then this that I haue received, from the mouths, and lively voices of all the holy Scriptures, consenting to this all in one, that Iesus is the king, and Lord over all things.  
But I see what drove them to this, and made them run into this foul starting hole, they desired to sit their doctrine of the kingdom of Christ to their opinion of ecclesiastical government, therfore indeed they fitted their sho●e according to their foot. For teaching their Ministers, and Elders, to be the onely officers of Christ to rule the Church, which is the kingdom of Christ; of necessity, they must except the king from being any officer of the kingdom of Christ. That they might do this: first they warily teach, that the kingdom of Christ is onely over his Church: and secondly, that they might not offend the Christian kings, they give them, as they would seem to think, a higher place: and that they might remove them out of the kingdom of Christ, and out of all office in the Church of Christ, and so haue elbow room enough for themselves, they give them their place immediately under God the Father: and set them to reign in commonweals: that they might not intermeddle with the Church government.  
And answerable hereunto, they teach, that the kingdom of Christ is a spiritual kingdom; that is, governed by spiritual men, and by spiritual means, that is, the word, and the censures ecclesiastical: that they might exclude the sword, and the censures civil out of the Church of Christ, and make it glad to stand armed at the Church door, to keep them in safety, and peace, domineering within, in the Church: and this is all the power they give to the civil king, in governing the Church of Christ, and this is good popery indeed.  
Although all this gear will not hold, for to govern the spiritual kingdom of Christ, they call in mere lay men: and give them place, and power, and office, in the kingdom of Christ, and call them by the name of Church Elders: and how will they then shut out the king, being a person more interested in the Church government, then any of his subiects, from being an officer in the Church, & kingdom of Christ, and that only for being no spiritual person, but a lay man? at the least let him be as capable of office in the Church, as his under subiects, your chosen Elders, be.  
Nay, how stand together these two doctrines of theirs? That the King should not bee an Officer of the kingdom of Christ: but the Officer of the Father: and yet as they subscribe, bee supreme governor in the Church, which is not the kingdom of the Father, as they say, but the kingdom of the son Christ? Can the king bee the governor of the Church, which is the kingdom of Christ, as they subscribe: and yet be no officer of the Church, as they teach? Is a governor of the Church, no Officer of the Church? can the king be the Vice-roy of the father, whose kingdom the Church is not, as they teach, and yet govern the kingdom of Christ; which is not the kingdom, as they say, of the father, but of the son; and yet be no officer of the kingdom of the son Christ neither? can the chancellor of king james, our sovereign Lord, be the chancellor of the roman Empire, and yet not deputed to that office by the Emperour? or can the chancellor of England, be the chancellor of spain, and yet not substituted by the king of spain? or can the Vice-roy of spain, bee the Vicegerent of the king of England, and yet not receive this office, and power from the king of England? Fie, what stuff is here? what trash, what hay and stubble is here, built vpon the foundation of gold? or what( to reconcile these their contrarieties) shall we say, that the father is supreme governor over commonweals, and that the king is his substitute to govern that: and that the son is supreme governor over Churches, and that the king is his deputy also for him to govern that? Indeed thus we shall reconcile them: but then we shall undo them▪ for this distinction then will do them no good. For it will not except( as fain by this they would) the king, from being an officer of the Church of Christ, it will utterly cast down that their strong hold, that holdeth the Ministers, & the Elders, to be the only Church officers: & thus, either, their doctrine must be contrary to their subscription: or if these disagree not, they must confess, that kings, & princes, be as well the officers of the Church, as the Ministers, or lay Elders be: and that they must rule it as well with their sword, as the Elders with their sword: & therfore, that the Church may as well be governed by the civil sword, without the ecclesiastical: as it was once governed by the ecclesiastical, without the civil. Yea if we shall thus reconcile them, they must be driven to confess, that this their distinction, is frivolous, and therfore cast it away, as a vain one, which neither doth them any good, nor our cause any harm at all, only it separateth, and divideth, the father, & the son, in their reign, & kingdom: & disioineth them asunder, like two earthly kings; having either of them one kingdom several to himself: the one sharing the Church for his kingdom, and the other sharing commonweals for his kingdom. Yea it distracteth us, for it teacheth us, that we are not all subiects unto one king, which is Christ: nor all to one God, which is the father: some be the subiects of the father, and some of us bee the subiects of the son: those of the commonweal, are the subiects of the father, and those of the Church, are the subiects of Christ.( Now I pray you whither bee greater the people of the commonweal, that be the subiects of the father: or the people of the church, that be the subiects of Christ?) And no marvell if this doctrine of division,( which doth not subordaine the one, under the other; the son under the father: but doth divide in two the kingdoms, and the kings of heaven) do make division, and divide asunder the kings and the people of the earth.  
And thus having cast down that their strong hold, that stood in our way, we will go on with the main force of our argument, and infer, that the kingdom of Christ, reaching not over Churches only, but over commonweals too, for the fit government thereof, shall need not onely censures ecclesiastical, as our brethren beleeue, which will fit onely the members of the Church: but beside these coertions civil, and merely temporal which will fitly serve both for the members of the Church & of the commonweal, to govern them both; as they did under the government of the jewish commonweal. And therefore accordingly, the father, for the better and more effectual governing of his whole kingdom, hath furnished his son Christ, not onely with censures ecclesiastical, but with an iron rod; therewith to break in pieces his enemies, like a potters vessel. And this rod is either the multitude of temporal afflictions, coming from the immediate hand of Christ, vpon the disobedient of the world; or those which are brought vpon the heads of the wicked, by the hands of the civil Kings; who bearing not the sword for nought, are the Ministers of God for to execute his wrath vpon all them that do evil. And therefore in the second of the revelation, the Lord Christ threateneth that woman Iesabell, not with suspension, or with excommunication, that are the censures ecclesiastical: but to cast her into a bed; which is, to punish her sins with sickness, and other diseases of the body; and her sons he threateneth to kill with the sword. And in the third of the same book, the same Lord, and King Iesus avoucheth, that he chasteneth, and correcteth every son whom he loveth. Chastisements therefore, and afflictions, whither ecclesiastical or civil, are the censures of the King Christ. And in the nineteenth of the same book, Saint John saw a mighty army of men follow the word of God; who had a name written on his thigh, to be the King of the Kings, and Princes of the earth; and with this army attending him, their leader and King, he slew a mighty army of his enemies; to eat up whose flesh, an angel that stood in the sun, called together al the beasts of the earth, and the birds of heaven. To govern therefore his kingdom, the Lord Christ hath Angels, devils, armies of Kings & Princes, fire, sword, famine, thunder, lightning, earthquakes, hail, stocks, whips, prisons, bootes, racks, gallows, hurdels, axe, loss, poverty, banishment, sickness, shane, death, excommunication, suspension, and a number else: so many, and of so sundry sorts, are the censures, and coertions of the kingdom of Christ. And of all these, so many in number, in the greatest want of the Church, the Lord Christ put over unto the rulers of the Church onely two principal the most usual whereof was excommunication, being a kind of banishment for a time from the Church of Christ; and being trusted onely with one or two at the most: how they face it out, as if all had been put into their hands.  
Thus far then hitherto haue wee traced out step by step the truth of this point: and by testimonies apparent out of the holy Scriptures haue brought the matter to this issue, that the Lord Christ is King over all realms and Churches: and that to govern them, he hath censures, not onely ecclesiastical, but civil. But now the question is, whither the Lord doth govern these his kingdoms here in earth, by his royal presence on earth; or by his Vicegerents, and substitutes: and by the answer of Christ to Pilate, this question receiveth a manifest and a plain answer. For to Pilate Christ plainly telleth, that his kingdom is not of this world: not meaning hereby to deny the interest that he had in the kingdoms and the Churches of this world: but his meaning is to tell Pilate, that his imperial city, which being the principal of his kingdom, he calleth metaphorically his kingdom, his throne of glory, his kingly seat, his palace royal, is not seated in this world: and that his meaning is not to reign in jerusalem, as their king, nor at Rome as their Emperour, nor yet in any other of the kingdoms of this world: but in heaven; where he shall not hinder the reign of the kings of this earth. This king therfore sitteth and reigneth in heaven, and giveth place to the kings of the earth to reign as kings under him. But then not governing these his kingdoms by his residence here on earth: it must needs follow, that as other kings residing in their imperial cities, do govern those their kingdoms that are a far off by Proconsuls, Deputies, or viceroys, which are their Vicars, and do represent their person: so this King Christ doth visibly govern these Churches and kingdoms of his, by his viceroys and earthly deputies. The further question then is, which of all the officers and rulers of the commonweal and Church, are the viceroys and deputies of this King of heaven, to govern and to rule his whole realm on earth? What is the Pope the Vice-roy of Christ, for the government of his whole kingdom on earth? indeed this power and great honour he doth arrogate unto himself; but in no case can we yield him this. And as for our brethren, they had rather take it themselves, then give it to him. What then are the Ministers the viceroys, and next deputies under Christ, to govern this his kingdom of the earth? indeed they are his Vicars to teach his Church, and so Priests under the high Priest Christ. And they say, that they are the Vicars and viceroys of Christ immediate to govern his whole kingdom, which as they say, is onely the Church: they are then belike, like unto Christ▪ a King, and a Priest, such as was Melchisedech, a Prince, & a Priest of the strong high God. But let all this be granted unto them, that they assume unto themselves, yet dare they not intermeddle with the earthly kingdoms, nor civil censures of the King, which they falsely deny to be any parte of the kingdom of Christ: and therefore they are not full viceroys indeed of the King of heaven▪ but we seek a full Vice-roy of the king Christ, if he haue ●ny: and being that the Pope is not, nor the Minister is not, it followeth, that the Kings onely of the earth, are the deputies, the Ministers, the substitutes, the viceroys, of this great and migh●y king Christ.  
And howsoever they will not teach it in their doctrine, yet to ●●is they haue subscribed, that the king, next, and immediately under Christ, is the supreme governor, both of the Church, and the weal public: and with them subscribeth S. John to this point, Apoc. 1. calling Christ the chief of the Princes of the earth: Ergo he is a Prince of the earth; and that the chief one: and other Princes hold of him in chief: and man other place afore cited, he calleth him the king of the kings of the earth: if he be ●heir king, then they are not immediately the subiects of the father, but of Christ: if they be kings, & his subiects, they are depu●ed and su●stituted by him to be kings under him; they hold then ●heir kingdom of him, and are his viceroys and substitutes; even as Herod a King, being the subject of the roman Emperour, held his deputation, and kingdom, of the Emperour of Rome, whose Vice-roy and substitute he was, for the governing of that parte of his jewish kingdom; wee therefore conclude, that as the Minister is the substitute of Christ, to teach the Church: so the King is the substitute, and Vicar of Christ, to govern the Church: and as it is the office of the Minister to teach the Church; so it is the office of the King to govern the Church: and as it is essential and ordinary to the Minister, to minister the word; so it is ordinary and essential to the King, to minister iustice, and to govern the whole Church of Christ. But so, as if the King do, or shall neglect this parte of his duty; I mean the holy rule, and good government of the Church of Christ: and in stead of well governing the Church, shall become a persecutor of the Church: then in the contempt and persecution of the King, extraordinarily, the Lord deputeth the eldership, as his Vice-roy, to govern for him that part of his persecuted Church. And( over, and beside that which hath been said) this may be well proved out of other portions of the holy Writ: for, that it belongeth to the ordinary office of the king, to govern in his daies the Church of God, by his civil sword, appeareth plainly, by the example of all the godly kings of judah; who all, as their prerogative royal, ever had, and held this power and authority, by their civil sword onely, without the Ecclesiastical, to govern as the weal public, so the whole Church of God, that was under them. And again that, in the persecution and contempt of the king, the Eldership might govern the Church of Christ, for Christ; appeareth by the example apparent of the Church primitive: which in the want of godly kings, received power from Christ, to govern for Christ, the Church of Christ. Godly kings therefore in their daies, as the chief Officers of the Church of Christ, are to govern the peaceable Church of Christ: but in the want of godly kings, the Eldershipp of the Church, is, in the persecution of the Church, to govern the persecuted Church of Christ. There are therefore two estates of the Church; the one peaceable, and the other persecuted: and according to these two estates, two kindes of Gouernours, and two kindes, as I may in some sort say, of governments: to govern the peaceable Church, there is the civil king, and the civil sword; to govern the persecuted Church, there is the eldership ecclesiastical, and there is the sword ecclesiastical; and neither of these must intermeddle in the time, or in the place of the other; but either of them must keep his place and his time: in the dayes of peace, let the king reign, and let the eldership sleep; in the daies of persecution the king sleepeth, let the eldership then awake, and the sword ecclesiastical. For in the primitive times they had their several times, and their several places, to bestir and occupy themselves in: when godly kings reigned in the primitive Church of the Iewes, the Eldership was not in use. again in the primitive Church of Christ, when the eldership reigned, the kings of the Gentiles, and the Iewes raged against the Church, they reigned not over the Church, as they ought: when kings slept, the Church government awaked; again when the kings awaked, the Church government slept. And thus in their primitive times, they were not both iumbled together, as our brethren would haue: but they had their several standing, and use apart one from the other; they had their interchaungeable reign and their successive use and place; and so let them stand still: let them keep their first place, and their fit time, and their governments may both st●nd, both agree, both haue their being, and their everlasting use, in some time or in other; in some place or in other. The Discip●ine ecclesiastical may haue his use in Turkey, in france, in the persecuted Churches of the Low-countries, or in the Territories of Geneua, or barn, where there is no king to govern. But the Discipline civil may haue his place in England, in denmark, and under al godly and christian kings. Distinguish times, saith one, and the Scriptures will agree: Distinguish the times and the places, & the diuers governments well agree: run not on on a head, without the consideration of the times, and the places; and this controversy shall haue an end.  
And thus you shall haue a wedge for this hard knot: but if you will unseasonably set them up both at one time to reign: and make them, being different, to be as one; and being of diuers natures, to agree both in one government, in one place, in one kingdom, you will attempt almost impossibilities, breed confusion, bring in disorder, make contentions, as between contraries; and the one will justle out the other, as by woeful experience hath been found in the government of the Pope, and the Emperour: and therefore when the kings rage, then must the Church reign: again when kings reign, then must the Church cease to reign: and of a reigning Q●eene, become an obedient subject, under the government of a godly king. And here I challenge o●r aduersa ies, if they can, to show me out of the word of God, where these two governments ever were in use at one time, and in any one kingdom of the world.   

REASON XV.  
ANd here the better to deduce this from the former grounds, we must beware, that wee do not childishly imagine, that because the kingdom of Christ reacheth unto two sorts of estates, the Church, and the commonweal: and because it hath been executed by two kind of swords; therefore, that( as a fools coat is made of two kinds of cloath, so) the one kingdom of Christ, is made of two sorts of kingdoms; and that the one part of his kingdom is made, & consisteth of one kind, and the other part of another kind: that the one part of his kingdom is an ecclesiastical kingdom; and that this was executed by ecclesiastical men, and by a sword ecclesiastical; and that the other part, is a civil kingdom; and that this was and is executed by civil kings, and by a sword civil; and so that it was one Office of Christ, that was executed by the ministry governing the Church: and another office of Christ, that was executed by the king, governing the Church. No, it is plain, that the power to govern the Church, that is given to the king, and to the eldership, is the one and self s●me kingly power of Christ; and that the one kingly office of Christ, to govern the commonweal, and the Church is notably put over to one person, I mean the king: so that the office of the king Christ abiding in him, the office, and the duty to govern the realm, and the Church really abideth in him; although the execution of that part of his Office, that concerneth the Church, be neglected of him; and therfore put over by Christ unto the Minister, to execute for him, and that by another, which is the ecclesiastical sword: so that to govern the Church, is a part of the office, the royalty, and prerogative of the king, ever abiding in him, while he is a king; yea, though he persecuteth: and that the government of the Church that the ministry executed, was a branch of the Kings duty, and that which by the King should haue been put in execution by his own sword civil; whereupon do depend these consequents: First, that it was no new power that was put over to the Minister for the government of the Church: but the very self same that was put over to the King before: and therefore the Church governed by the king, is governed by the same power whereby it was governed under the eldership: Secondly, that this power to govern the Church ordinarily, as his essential office, doth belong, and appertain unto the King; and the despising King shall answer to God for his negligence herein; but he is not thereby deprived of the office. Thirdly, that being ordinary to the King, and essential to him: it could not be, but bee extraordinary, and onely accidental unto the Minister. Fourthly, that the power that the Minister had to exercise this office of the King, was extraordinarily made lawful by the power of Christ: who onely( necessity so requiring) might l●wfully transfer for a time, the exercising of this royalty, to the Ministers of the Church: Fiftly, that the Lord Christ might leave the royalty in the king, and yet give the honour and the practise of his duty to the minister. The Lord left the sword civil in the hands of the King, and framed unto the Church a sword ecclesiastical, for the execution of the civil duty of the king: and thus in persecution to govern the lay men of the Church, he framed an ecclesiastical sword: as otherwise in peace he framed a civil sword, to govern ecclesiastical men, and ecclesiastical affairs: so that the distinction of the sword made no disti●ction of the office: sixthly, either of these two were enabled by God to govern the Churches in their times, without the other: and therefore to this end are as powerful now, as ever they were before. Whence I infer, that seeing it is ordinary, and essential to the King to govern the Church, and extraordinary to the Minister, and but only accidental: that the king executing his government, the Church must n●t execute it too: the king executing it by his civil sword, the Church must not execute it by his ecclesiastical sword. For this is an infallible rule, that when that office is set up in the Church, to which it belongeth ess●ntially to govern: that then the government must depart from that office whereunto it was but accidental, and cleave unto that, unto which it is essential, and ordinary: for the Church is not to content itself with accidents, which are the base and less noble, when it may enjoy the very essence and substance of things: and extraordinary things must then cease, when ordinary may be had. And seeing that the right and duty to govern the Church abideth still in the King: and ther● being nothing wanting in him, but the execution of his own office, which is the good government of the Church: when he shall take up this; the Church must let it fall: and when he claimeth it asking but his own, the Church must not wrangle, nor contend with the king for it; claiming it by their wrong, when they cannot by their right, pleading possession of some hundred yeres, against the ancient evidences of kings, registered for an eternal memorandum in the holy writings of God. All which with one consent avouch this government to be the kings, and would you deprive him of his inheritance, and his right, because of his want, and your obtained possession? The king lost onely the pr●ctise of his duty, & this practise of the kings duty is all the Church found, so that the Minister was ever but the kings Vicar to govern for him, but extraordinarily deputed by Christ thereto, not by the king. The king did not execute his office, & the Church found leave, favour and power from Christ, to execute his office for him: and therefore this power of the Church to govern for the king, in reason could no longer continue, then till the king would govern himself, and with his own sword civil, as with his own hands execute his own office. For what reason, or what need, had the Church, by her sword ecclesiastical to govern the Church for the king: when he was willing and able of himself to govern it by his own sw●rd civil? I conclude therfore, that he being but the kings Vicar, may be deposed at the kings pleasure. The case therefore st●ndeth thus between the kings, and the Church: the persecuting kings through their careless security lost the kingdom: vigilant and Christian kings found the kingdom, that their predecessors lost: the Ministers of the Church lost a kingdom, that their predecessors found: and found peace, that their predecessors lost: the members of the Church lost their ruling Elders; and found kings their nursing fathers, and queens their nursing mothe●s: so when kings lost the government, the Church found it; when the kings found it, the Church lost it. And thus in right, these governments were ever disjoined, the government of the Church being a branch of the kingly office of Christ, ordinarily put over to kings, but extraordinarily to the Eldership.   

REASON XVI.  
ANd this distinction for the several times of their government must be kept,( if our brethrens doctrines bee sound, that teacheth the Church to be the onely kingdom of Christ) unless we will lift up the Minister, above the king: and extol the office of the person, and the power of the Minister, above the office of the person, and the power of the king Christian:( and extol him above all that is worshipped, and above all that is called God, as the kings of the earth are. For the Prophet saith of them I said that you are Goddes: but ye shall die like men.) For if you will put vpon, & give unto the Minister in the dayes of peace, the whole person, & office of the king Christ: and make him the full Vice-roy, of the king Christ, over his Church, which you hold to be his whole, and his onely kingdom: you give him, and put vpon him, the very office, and person of a king: yea of the king Christ, who is the king of the kings of the earth. And a greater person then this, no king of the earth ever had, or ever shall haue; and so by consequent the office and the person of the Minister is as great as the office, and the person of the king: and beside this office, equal to the kings; you put vpon the Minister another office, more then the kings, and that is, the person, and office of the Priest Christ: and so make him a very Antichrist, another Christ vpon the earth; the full Image and Vicar of Christ: such as the Pope holdeth himself to be; and such a one, as is higher then all the kings of the earth. A Christian Minister therfore can not hold this office under Christ, immediately in the rule of a godly king, except he will make himself a greater person then the king. Of the king he may hold this power, if the king will, and at his pleasure, and so be under the king, as the deputy of the king; who is the deputy, and Viceroy of Christ: but to ho●d it, as our brethren bold, immediately from Christ, as his Vicars, and Deputied immediately by Christ, to govern for him, they cannot, except they lift up themselves above all that is called God, and is worshipped. In the dayes of persecution, there being then no fear, least the Minister should lift up himself in the greatness of his person over kings, might such an office, with more reason be put vpon him: Especially need so requiring. But now no need so requiring, for a minister to bear an office under a Christian king( that denieth the Minister no part of his honour) greater then the office of the king; is a way to lift him up above the king, and so to make him Antichrist: and therefore in the Thessalonians, the hindering of Antichrist, is truly ascribed to the persecuting Emperour, that withheld the revelation, that is the setting of him up. For he ever kept this person, that would be counted so great a person, under: but when he was taken away, then the Ministers being( as they held) so great persons, and honoured by kings Christian, according to their pretended greatness, lifted up themselves above kings; and thus sprung Antichrist up: so that if our brethrens doctrine bee true, then they must let fall their claim to the Church government, under a Christian king, or else be greater then the king. But if our doctrine be true, & theirs be false; then must they needs let the claim fall too, for the reasons aboue-said: and now let them choose, which they will do. For which soever be true, I will still hold, & conclude, that under a Christian king, the Church lost his primitive government ecclesiastical, and that the reign of the Eldership is determined in the reign of godly kings Christian: this the Pope not knowing, holdeth still his power like Saul, that having seized on the kingdom, would not part from it, to his neighbour david, & so is become Antichrist; this the Popish kings not knowing, do slavishly leave this power in the Popes hands: and this our brethren not knowing, foregoe their ministry, because they may not obtain this their desired, and now long thirsted after kingdom.  
But my labour, and desire is, that all men may see with me this truth, and take knowledge, that there is something in the ministry that is essential: which they received both then, and now, from the Church, by virtue of their ecclesiastical function: and that is the ministration of the word, and Sacraments: and there was something which was accidental, and altogether mutable, and that was a branch of the regal, and ruling power: which departed from them, when the ordinary ruling power came into the Church, that was wanting before. And having lost this power, they cannot hold it now, but at the pleasure of the king: who if he will, may give it over unto others: or return again unto the Church, the power over all, saving over himself. For I hold, that the king is not to loose his place, nor to suffer himself to be topped by any subject, in his kingdom. And sith some must bee free from all rule under heaven, in some things: as the Pope would be; it is most fit, that the king should be exempt from all under rule, and left unto the immediate power and rule of God. As the Apostle left the vnbeleeuers, that were without, in some things, neither to the rule of the heathen kings, that would not, nor to the Church that should not judge them: but onely unto the iudgement of God, saying, do not ye judge them that are within? them that are without God shall judge: and here observe their contrariety, that hold a necessity of their discipline in all the Church, and yet except from discipline the head of the Church; which is the king, and if they except the head, I will except the body; for the same is the reason of the whole and the part.   

REASON XVII.  
but our aduersaries haue subscribed, not onely unto the government, but unto the supremacy also of the king: with the which I plainly see that ecclesiastical Discipline cannot stand. Without ecclesiastical Discipline, the king is supreme governor of all persons, as well ecclesiastical, as civil: but with ecclesiastical Discipline, the king is under the rule of the pastors, and Elders of the Church. For in ecclesiastical Discipline, the whole congregation of every particular Church, consisteth of the rulers thereof, and of the people that are under their rule. The rulers are, either the Bishops, or the Elders of the Church: all the rest, whither they be iudges, or rulers of the land, Whither they be Lords, or councillors, whither they be Kings, or queens, are to be ruled; and so by consequent, to be under the rule of the Pastors, and Elders of the Church. Now the king being no Elder, for that is to be less then the Pastor; nor no Pastor, for that sorteth not with his calling: must needs bee under the rule of his particular Pastor, or Bishop; if he be under, he cannot be above him, then not his supreme head. Then being under his rule, here must needs at the least arise a controversy( as between the Bishop of Rome, and the Emperour) whither of these two should be the chief, and unto whom the supremacy should incline. The Emperour he challenging it, because the Bishop was his subject; the Bishop challenging it, because the Emperour being a member, & a child of his Church, was under the rule of him, the head and father of all his particular Church. Now to end this controversy, the Emperour he draweth his civil sword: and the Pope draweth his ecclesiastical sword; and there begi●●●th array: the Emperour he sighteth against the Church, and p●secuteth it the Pope he rebelleth against his king, and excommunicateth him. And say, that it break not forth into open warres: yet the seed, and spark of this fire lying hid within cannot but kindle inward grudge, in the king: because his subiects would rule him: and in his subiects; I mean, his Pastors, and Elders: because he will not bee ruled by them. Therefore the king must needs keep under, or curb ecclesiastical Discipline, or else bee kept under, and kerbed by ecclesiastical Discipline. And either losing his supremacy over the Pastors, & Elders of his Church, put himself under them, and under their authority; or else putting them down, set up himself, and his rule over the Pastors, and Elders of the Church.  
I haue a heard a Papist say, that the ecclesiastical Discipline could not stand with an absolute Monarchy. For that it taketh away the supremacy from the king: and shareth half the kingdom( which is the absolute rule of all the Church, which is not half, but all the kingdom) with the king: and again, I haue heard some of our aduersaries say, that Popery could not stand with a Monarchy: for that it taketh away the supremacy from the king, and usurpeth authority over the whole Church in his kingdom, which is the whole kingdom of the land. The Pope, as Christ his Vicar, challengeth an immediate power from Christ, over all, yea over kings, and princes: and so our aduersaries challenge over all, yea over kings and Princes, a power immediate from Christ, to govern them all in the Church, as the Vicegerents, and rulers of Christ, yea as the Vicars of Christ: and then if they haue rule over the king, in like manner must they haue rule over all the subiects of the king: & indeed in a Church, confounded as ours is with the commonweal, if the Pastors rule over all the Church, then they rule over all the kingdom: and yet farther, if excommunication may bee used in all criminal causes, as our aduersaries hold: then haue they power to rule over all the kingdom, in all causes, as well ecclesiastical as civil. And thus of them both, is brought forth this monster in nature: that the king should bee over all, and yet under his subiects: that the king should govern in all causes, ecclesiastical and civil: and yet the Church govern in all causes, as well ecclesiastical, as civil. And I wonder that a Papist can see this monster in our aduersaries, and not in the Pope. And again, that our aduersaries can see this in popery, and not in their Discipline ecclesiastical.  
And thus I hear either, to accuse each other, and if either of both say true, then neither of both is sound, and a friend to the Kings suprem●cie: although to speak for our brethren: I think that they are proved to hold against the supremacy, more by force of reason: then by any experience of disloyalty. And although they cannot hold their discipline, with the supremacy: yet before, they thought, in the error of their iudgement, that well they might uphold both. Onely this in our brethren is to be misliked: that hating Popery: in this point they should be rank Papists, though ignorantly. And that praying against, and labouring to discover Antichrist: themselves ●●ould join with, and uphold Antichrist: yea in that wherein he is Antichrist? For if this ma●eth the Pope Antichrist: for that he lifteth up himself in his rule above all that is worshipped, or called God: and they join with them in this, and say, that the Church, that is the bishops of the Church haue this power indeed, over Kings and Princes: and so uphold them in that: do they not uphold the Pope, in that very thing, that maketh him very Anitchrist? And thus I see, how zeal without knowledge, and a desire to set up the Church discipline over kingdoms, and Kings, set up unawares Antichrist himself: and mounted the man of pride to that great and wonderful height. And even then, when in Rome was set up the authority of the bishop, or chief Pastor of Rome, over the Emperor: then was set up Antichrist in Rome.  
And here if any man ask of me? why it being the will of God that the rule of the Church should then cease, when Emperors became Christians, that it was not plainly so mentioned, and expressly revealed in the Scriptures? my answer is: that the Lord would leave a way by hiding this for a time,( which he would open in his time) for to let in, and to set up Antichrist: whom he would reveal in his time: even as in hiding the end of the law of Moyses, he laid a snare, to take therein the vnbeleeuing Iewes, whom of old he purposed to cast of. And here brethren consider, what a gross error it is, to hold a discipline against the supremacy of the King: which is in your own iudgement, to hold treason: and to hold an opinion against the proportion of faith. And how little it becometh Christian men, to uphold the reign of the Popes, and the Bishop of Rome, over the Emperour and over the Kings of the earth. And therfore for my part having subscribed to the Supremacy, I make no bones of it, to subscribe to the present government established by our godly, and Christian King.   

REASON XVIII.  
ANd here because our Brethren be delighted with Quaeres I will propound a few unto them.  

And here first I demand, Whither the Apostles during the primitive times were not the supreme heads of the Church next and immediately under Christ Iesus?  
2. Whither the Bishops or Eldership next succeeding them, were not as they were, the supreme heads of the Church?  
3. Whither in these dayes there be no alteration from those dayes, but that the Bishops or Eldership of England be now, as they were thē, the supreme heads of the Church of England, next and immediately under Iesus Christ?  
4. There being( as one of their side saith) no universal▪ nor national nor diocesian Church: but every Church being a P●rishionall Church: I demand whither I. S. being the Minister of Saint Clements, be the supreme head of the Church of S. Clements, next and immediate under Iesus Christ?  
5. Whither every particular Minister be not the supreme head of every particular Church of his, as well as I.S. is the particular head of his?  
6. Whither the Minister being the s●preme head of the Church, the king can be supreme head of it too? whither can there be two supreme heads on the earth, of one and the same Church?  
7. There being no national Church in England whereof the King can be head, and being head of no parishional Church in England, what is become of the kings supremacy over the Church of England?   

The second Question.  
SEcondly, I demand whither a body merely ecclesiastical, and not any way politic, can haue, as it is a body ecclesiastical, a head, that is merely politic, and not any way ecclesiastical?  
Whither the head, and the body must not be of the same kind, nature, and sort?  
What manner of body they make, that sow a mans head, to an Asses body?  
2. Whither two bodies really being in nature; and being both of a different nature: and sever done, from another: and both living can haue ●nd live both, but by one head? much more, whither 500000 bodies all severally, can bee sufficed by one onely head, & that of another sort, & kind as they hold the king to be?  
3. Whither doth not this argument well hold? the Church, and the commonweal, haue but one head, Ergo they are but one body?  
Whither the body being a body mixed, and a compound, of parts ecclesiastic, and politic: the head must not bee a me●ber answerable thereunto? that is a head, a governor, or an officer, partly ecclesiastical, and partly politic, some thing like to your lay Elder, whom you hold to be a lay man: and yet a Church officer.  
4. Whither the King being a Person, mixed of a lay and a clergy governing man, be not as fit a head to govern lay and clergy men, by his own sword, as their governing Eldership, much weaker, & base then the king, was to govern thē by a borrowed sword? & whither he may not fitly stand in the place of that pulled down? and what loss should the Church haue, if so it were?   

The th●rd Question.  
THirdly, I demand whither it belongeth not to the King, as a part of his kingdom, to govern all the people of the kingdom in all affairs of the land?  
2. Whither discipline doth not claim a right in the authority and name of Iesus Christ, to govern all the people of the kingdom, & that by no authority nor sword of the king, in almost half the affairs of the kingdom, as in the matter of witchcraft, idolatry, heresy, blasphemy, swearing, profaning of the sabbath, wrath, usury, covetousness, whoredom, drunkenness, backbiting, slandering, and such like?  
3. Whither Iesus Christ came into the world to take from Caesar, those things that are Caesars? to take from every king Christian, the one half of his kingdom, and to give it to the Church?  
4. Whither the power and office of the king be not out of all question, of God?  
5. Whither that power that giveth all to the king, be of God? and that power that giveth not all to the king, but onely half to the king and half to the Church, be of God too?  
6. Whither you think him the kings friend, that layeth claim to half his kingdom?  
Whither he that claimeth a right to govern half the affairs of the kingdom, do not claim a right to govern half the kingdom?   

The fourth Question.  
FOurthly, I demand what necessity there is, that the king should punish some sins, & not the Church: & that the Church should punish some sins, & not the king: as usually was, & is done and yet, that both the Church and the king, should punish all sins jointly? as some hold & how can these contraries stand together?  
2. Whither the primitive Church punished all sins? And again, whith●r it joined with the king, in punishing all sins? If it did not, whither they that urge, and press this, and stand for this, do urge, and press, and stand for the government of the primitive Church?  
3. Whither the Church punishing all with the king, doth not jointly govern all with the king? and so shareth the whole kingdom with the king?  
4. Whither if it so fall out that the Church will not punish, and the king will punish a man, what will follow▪  
5. Whither the king be the sole king of that kingdom, where the Church shareth the kingdom with the king?   

The fift Question.  
FIftly, I demand, whether the kingdom of the king doth consist rather in outward honor, & wealth, thē in power, & rule?  
2. Whither he that divideth the rule with the king, doth not divide the kingdom with the king?  
3. Whither tne Church doth not claim as absolute authority, & right, and that not in right nor authority of the king, but in her own authority and right, to govern by her own sword, and her own laws, all the subiects of the kingdom: as the king doth to govern them by his sword and his laws?  
4. Whither all the s●biects of the king, be not also the subiects of the Church, if their challenge be good?  
Whither the Church be not then half ruler, and half king, with the king?  
Whither the king be any more then half king, and the Church half king?  
Whither but half the kingdom be Christs? why doth not the Church claim all the kingdom, sith Christ will not be contented with half.   

The sixth Question.  
Whither al heathen kings, in whole kingdom the Church is not be not without the Church, sole rulers over their subiects?  
Whither then Christian kings should not bee sole rulers as well as they?  
Whither the heathen king turning Christian must loose his former prerogative, his monarchy, and sole rule? whither for becoming a Christian, must he be punished with the loss of half his kingdom?  
Whither Christian Religion doth indeed deprive kings of any part of their kingdom?  

The consequents and conclusions inferred vpon these Questions.  
FRom the first I infer, that this Church hath lost the supreme government, that the primitive Church had, it is devolved to the king.  
From the second I conclude, that their ruling Elder merely spiritual, as a head not fitting a mixed body, is taken away, and instead of him another fitter, and worthier set up to govern this combined Church.  
From the rest I conclude, the government to be departed from the Church, or else the Church to bee half governor of the kingdom with the king.  
It they deny that they haue power and right in the immediate authority of Christ to rule over the Church of England, which containeth and includeth all the subiects of the king, they yield me the question, and deny their Primitie government, and the Church Discipline. For the primitive government, or Church Discipline, as they hold it, is nothing but a certain power, immediately by Iesus Christ, given to the Elders of the Church to govern the Church, by the censures of the Church: now he that denieth this right, denieth his primitive Discipline.  
If they avouch that such authority and right they haue: they take half the kingdom from the king: they equal & shoal themselves with the kin●, in the government of his kingdom: they divide the kingdom with the king: and make themselves half kings, and the king the other half king Now if they haue such a right, let thē speak it out, and claim their right, & if they can, let thē prove it unto us, let thē challenge it boldly as the Pope doth.  
I conclude the fore that the Church must loose her kingdom, or the king his kingdom; the one half of it at the least now whither hath most reason to yield up his kingdom, judge you? And here note that the contention is who shall be king, a sweet contention for Christian Ministers, that pretend all humility and lowliness of Christ; and whither do better the subscribers that yield it, or the gainsayer that refuse it?    

The seventh Question.  
Whither did not the primitive Church exercise her government, without the leave of the kings of the earth?  
Whither may not the Church now exercise the same government without the leave of the king?  
If they say that it may, they join with the Brownist, that setteth up the government without the king.  
If they say it may not, they deny the Church to haue the same power to rule now under a Christian king, that it had under the heathen kings, and so they give me the Question.  
Whither they, that haue all authority to govern the Church from Christ immediately: haue any mediately from the king?  
If they haue no authority from the king, why do they expect the King?   

The eight Question.  
WHither do you not hold, that the king may neither alter, nor yet immedi●tly by himself exercise the Church government? onely he must establish it, and uphold it?  
Whither he that may not immediately, but onely mediately, administer or exercise the Church government be the next, and immediate governor of the Church under Christ? This opinion therefore denieth part of the Supremacy.  
And here, I pray answer me this argument, that seemeth in mine eyes very reasonable.  
That government of the Church, that the king( being Christ his deputy) may not administer, he is not tied by Christ to uphold or establish:  
The primitive government he may not by himself administer:  
Ergo, he is not tied to uphold the primitive government.  
And here for my resolution, give me an instance, but not in eodem, of a government established by the chief Lord and king, to the upholding whereof he createth a Viceroy, or deputy, that may not by himself administer, or execute that Gou● nment: me thinketh it a very unreasonable thing, that a Dep●●ie should be enjoined to do that under pain of life, that himself if need be, may not do.  
That the Lord Christ should command his deputy the king to see that the government of the primitive Church should under him be administerd, & exercised: and yet restrain him from the administration, and exercise thereof: this is as if he should bid him run, and then tie his legs.   

The ninth Question.  
IN the primitive Church all the sins of the Parish were punished in the consistory of the same Parish, as you say: and this approved by the Apostles. In Scotland the sins of twenty Parishes in one consistory; and this is approved by you in the latter jewish Church: all the sins almost of the Church in the one consistory of the Sannedrim: why may it not be so in England? Is the place a matter of essence, or circumstance? is the person that punisheth, be he Lay, or clergy man, a matter of essence, or circumstance● both punished in the primitive Church, as you say. Is the instrument a matter of essence, or circumstance? as whither sin be punished by a Whip, a Halter, a sword, fire, or excommunication? cannot God be satisfied if sin be punished, except it be punished by a Lay, and clergy man, or by excommunication?    

REASON XIX.  
ANd here to grow to an end, I demand whither the judicial Law of Moyses being given in the wisdom of God, as the fittest policy, in iustice, to govern the jewish kingdom, may not by Christian Kings be brought into, and set up in their several Dominions? And here I know, that howsoever they hold it not a matter of necessity, yet they will not deny, but that it is lawful for Christian kings to set it up in their several Domitions. If this be granted, then I see there may be a Christian kingdom of Priests, a great and flourishing Church, governed exceeding well, and flourishing with all goolinesse, and yet wholly want, and be altogether without ecclesiastical discipline. For the jewish kingdom, and Church joined both together, and governed according to the iustice and policy of God, for many hundred yeeres together prospered, and was without all exception passing well governed, under the god●y Kings, and yet ●ltogether without ecclesiastical Discipline. Yea I see there may be a kingdom,( plotted by God himself, and a Church joined with a kingdom( from which sort wee must take our pattern) planted by the policy of God him ●elf● and by the same policy of God gouern●d even as th● Primitiu●●●urch was governed by another policy of God with the which ecclesiastical Discipline cannot stand. For in the jewish kingdom, all sins being justly punished, according to the judicial law of Moyses, by the civil Magistrate, there were no sins left to be punished by the ecclesiastical censures: there was then no use, nor place at all, in such a kingdom as that, left for the Discipline of the primitive Church. Now then if the kingdom of Iewrie, and the Church affixed thereunto, might be governed by another policy of God, then the primitive Church policy was, and yet bee allowed, nay planted of God, and flourish without ecclesiastical Discipline: may not trow you, the kingdom of England, and the Church affixed there unto, be governed by some other policy then the ecclesiastical policy, and yet be governed by the very policy of God: planted by God himself: and flourish passing well, without ecclesiastical government? If with the kingdom and Church of the Iewes, governed by the policy of God, this their ecclesiastical policy of God, could not possibly stand: then the like kingdom being here, as there was; with our policy of God, could not bee placed, nor stand their policy of God. And thus the policy of God, should not stand with the policy of God: the ecclesiastical policy of God, with the civil policy of God. And therefore they were never made both by God to stand both together: but the one, that I mean of the primitive Church, to haue his place in a single Church, where the kings were wanting: the other, I mean that policy of the jewish kingdom, to haue his place in a Church compounded, as ours is, with a commonweal, where-ouer one Christian king beareth the whole sway. And thus God in mercy hath given a policy in his word, for a Church persecuted: which is to haue his place in a Church persecuted: and a policy for a Church peaceable, under a Christian king: that is to haue place in such a kingdom. And I wonder that our aduersaries see not this distinction: and consider not how God hath given a several kind of government, to these several and diverse kinds of Churches, and what reason they haue to thrust vpon a Church peaceable, that kind of government, that God gave to a persecuted Church, and so confounding the order of God, and nature of things, to give the form of one thing, to a diverse, and almost contrary thing: the form of a persecuted Church, t● a Church that is peaceable; and flourisheth under a goly king. And herefully and finally to determine the question.  
I demand whether, a Christian king may not punish all sins whatsoever, by the civil Magistrate: as the kings of judah did, by the law of God? And I doubt not, but that they will easily yield unto me this. If then the king may punish all sins by the civil Magistrate: then are there none left to be punished by the Discipline of the Church. If there be no sins to be punished by it, then is there no use of it; nor nothing at all for it to do there: if it hath there nothing to do, and if there be no use of it; then is it utterly laid on the ground, overthrown, and made voided, and vain in such a commonweal. And therefore in some commonweals there is made a mere nullity of Ecclesiastical Discipline; but our commonweal is such, or may be easily made such: Ergo, in our commonweal there is, or may be a mere nullity of ecclesiastical Discipline. And so it is plain, that it is not of neces●i●●e imposed by God vpon all commonweals. for it is not by God imposed vpon such a one, as I mentioned now. And then, if our government be, or may be, in that number, and of that sort, and kind: then is it not of necessity imposed vpon our Church, and kingdom; All sins may be here punished by the civil Magistrate: Ergo, there need to bee none left to the ecclesiastical censures: Ergo, there may bee no use of them, in this Church, and kingdom of ours: Ergo, they may bee utterly taken away, or suffered to sleep, in this kingdom of ours. And here I charge our aduersaries, before the living God, that shall judge all flesh, that if ever they mean to reply, besides the rest, that they remember to shape me a sound answer, without cauelling, to this argument of mi●e, or else to subscribe with us to this government of ours. For I hold the argument to bee demonstrative, and utterly unanswerable; and to confess the truth, it is that reason that fully resolved me, that hung ind ff rent before, and was swayed onely that way, whither I was carried by the force of ●rgument. And if any man be not obstinate, nor wilfully blind, it may let him see, that ecclesiastical Disciplin● is not of necessity to be set up in this, and in all other kingdoms of the world, as our aduersaries would make all men, and us too, if they could to b●l eve: for surely, if all sins( to repeat it once again) may be p●ni●●ed by the civil sword: then there are none to bee punished by the ecclesiastical: then there is made a mere nullity of it in a kingdom, as this is. And thus it is plain, that there can bee no place for their ecclesiastical Discipline, but onely where kings govern over loosely: which is a thing altogether unlawful for Christian kings.  
But men being by nature hold-fast of their opinion, and in love with the child and daughter of their own brain: and being loth to be taken in such a fault, and to haue it discovered, being hardly brought to beleeue that they haue erred thus long and to confess it; being ashamed to be conui●ced as deceivers of the people, and to haue it proved that they vented untruth, & set abroach errors, in steede of the gospel: envying this, that a weak man, and a man of my place, should see that light, that for so many yeeres hath been hidden from them: rather then they will haue this Discipline of theirs( for the obtaining whereof they haue suffered so many things) thus to be set packing: and as an Idle one to bee banished out of Christian kingdoms; they will set it a work, and find something for it to do, yea in such a kingdom as wee haue already spoken of. And therefore, though without it a Christian kingdom may be governed passing well, and abound in all godl●nesse, and religion: yet they perchance will hold( though it be absurd, and too gross) that it is a matter of necessity, that with the civil, should bee joined the ecclesiastical Discipline: and that the king may not punish all sins by the civil Magistrate onely. And that it is a notable sin, to divorce these two governments asunder: and that in no case, it is lawful for the civil Magistrate, to proceed to censure, or to give sentence, without the ecclesiastical: and so they will find a place for ever in all commonweals, for their ecclesiastical Discipline.  
But if it be a sin for the Church, with the censures therof, not to join in punishing sin, with the civil Magistrate: Oh Lord how long haue even our aduersaries themselves lived in this sin? that haue all this while( being fully persuaded that this had been their duty) and that against the light of their consciences, omitted this their bound duty.  
If it be a sin for these two governments to be divorced: then for many hundred yeeres together, under Moyses, and all the Prophets, the whole kingdom of the Iewes sinned, and that by Commission from God, that ordained all sins to be punished onely by the civil Magistrate, without the ecclesiastical: and setting not up the ecclesiastical Discipline, divorced these two governments asunder.  
And here I would know how or when kings Christian lost this power to rule the whole Church and commonweal, by the sword civil, without the ecclesiastical: who, as all godly kings set up and approved by God, ever had power and authority so to do.  
Yea the whole primitive Church sinned in this point, and that by commandement from Paul: who forbidding them to excommunicate them that were without, did not suffer the Church, to join with the Common weal, in punishing of sin.  
Yea the Sannedrim, Iesus Christ our Lord, and the Apostles of our saviour Christ, sinned, in that they joined not with Herod, with Pontius Pilate, and the rest of the roman governors in punishing of sin: but we fear not to sin with the Churches of all ages, for so many hundred yeeres together: with the blessed Apostles and with our Lord and saviour Iesus Christ himself.  
If it be a sin, in punishing sin, to divorce these two governments: let them bring forth the commandment of God for the combining of them together, and we will fear, and confess our sin.  
But if they cannot bring forth any commandement, as I know undoubtedly that they cannot: yet let thē bring forth some one example out of the word, for the approving hereof. I ask them, did the jewish Church and commonweal, both plan●ed by God, ever do● so? And it is plain that they did not: all sins were punished there by the civil Magistrate onely, without the Eccles●asticall. Nay, did Christ, the high Preiests, the E ders, and the Sannedrim, proceed against the two theeues crucified with Christ, by Excommunication, when Herod, and Pontius Pilate proceeded, to give against them the sentence of death? and I know that they are not able to show this. Nay did afterward the primitive Church join, with the princes of their land, in punishing the sins of the land, and it is plain that they did not; they were forbidden so to do, as we said before. Nay those sins of the Church, that were punished by the heathen laws, as treason, murder, theft, and such like, did the Church punish, in the members, and in the b●ethren of the Church? And it is plain that it did not, they were stinted and concluded by Paul, 1. Cor. 5. within their compass: and he name unto them the particular sins, that they should punish with excommunication: and they were adultery, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, and extortion: all which were made lawful enough by heathen kings, especially extortion, was a thing vs●all in their Publicans, and in many of their officers, but was intoll●rable in a Christian man: and as they meddled not with the sins punished by the Church: so the Church meddled not with the sins punished by them But their jurisdictions remained dist●nct, and this distinction of either jurisdiction hath been continued from hand to hand even from the P●imitiue, to this Church of ours: where you see this divorce of the several jurisdictions to be continued, as we received it of ancient time, from the former Churches. And yet further, look into the Churches of Scotland, France, and flanders: and you shall in no time, and in no age, and in no place of the world, find in all things, this combination of governments, that some men of ours haue dreamed of.  
Now then, if they can show for doing of it no commandment out of the word, nor no example, neither out of the ancient Church of the Iewes, nor out of the latter Church of Iewry: nor out of the Primit●ue Church,( whose onely example they press vpon us) neither out of any ancient, or newly planted commonweal.( though our newer commonweals be more corrupt●d then the ancient were) nor yet out of all ages of the world: how will they tie us to join together these, that the word, and the world, never did before? and go about to make us beleeue, in diuorcing of these, that wee are guilt●e of s●ch a sin, as the word, the world, and all the Church of God, never knew before? Surely before I would hold such stuff, to hold in Discipline: and before I wou●d broach a lie, to vent a shadow of truth: before I would hold such paradoxes, to make men beleeue, that the moon is made of green che●se: I would l●y my hand vpon my mouth, and dash my pen against the wall. If I could not defend Discipline, but by defending this position: I would rather a thousand times subscribe, and I should therein commit a hundred times less absurdities, then in holding of these terms: but we must let go words, and come to reasons.  
Wee haue shewed before, and that from the example of the jewish kingdom, and Church, that a kingdom, and a Church combined as ours is together, without their ecclesiastical Discipline, may flourish, and be governed by another policy, that is of God, as well as theirs is: and may without all exception be ruled passing well, yea exceeding well. And is it a sin, if our kingdom and church be not governed better then passing well? If it be not better governed then it is possible to be governed? If it be not better, th●n the best that ever was? being a bo●, I learned no degree above the sup●rl●tiue; and being grown a man, I can read of none higher. If they haue another grammar, or another Art, th●t teach●th a higher degree▪ let them vent their new found, I had almost said, new fond Art, and we will bee glad to learn any true, though it be a new thing. For mine own part, I never fancied Platoes commonweal, nor Sir Thomas Mores Utopia: n●r any such commonweals, or Churches, as dwell in the clouds: and are fetched from beyond the moon.  
If th●re be such a necessity for the coupling of thē both together: then it is, for that the one without the other, is not in iustice sufficient, for the reuenge of sin: or in mercy, for the preservation of the sound, from the infection of the sour leaven: or in power, for the effectual working of repentance. For beside these I can see no other end, for the necessary combination of these two.  
And first, concerning the punishment of sin, I hold, that it is a suffi●ient punishment, to punish treason, and murder, two of the greatest sins, with death: and so it once seemed in the wisdom, and iustice of God: that proportioning the punishme●●, to the sins, ordained by the judicial law of Moyses, no other punishment for these two sins, but onely death, without the excommunication of the Church. And then was it enough in those dayes: and is it not enough now in these dayes and times of ours? was it iustice then: and is it not iustice now? how is that become a sin now: that was i●stice, and very righteousness then? and that by the sentence, and iudgement of God himself: or what, shall we condemn God of unjustice: that giuing laws, and punishments for his people, appointed not punishments, just, and sufficient enough, for the sins of his people?  
In sins of the lesser nature, to use excommunication( the greatest punishment of the Church:) and besides this, to add to excommunication, some other civil punishment, to make it more sharp: is not iustice: which ever proportioneth the punishment to the sin: but extreme crew ty.  
In the greater sins, which death( then with there was none more heavy ordained for his own people the Iewes) to join excommunication( then which there was no greater punishment, ordained by God, for the believing Gentiles) is to lay that vpon one which God ordained as sufficient, to be laid vpon two: namely vpon a sinning lew, & vpon a sinning Christian gentle; & so to be twice as severe as God is, twice as just as God is; which is not to be juster then God, but to be too too cruel indeed. When the judge bindeth the hands of the t●iefe, for the Church also to bind his sins in heaven, and earth: when the civil judge giveth his body to the hangman: thē for the Elders to give his body & soul to the divell: when the sheriff hangeth & killeth the body; then for the church to hang, & to kill his soul, in hel fire, is not iustice, but a mere butchery of body and soul, that my soul abhorreth, and a punishment, which the Lord reserveth to his last, and to his own iudgement seat: and for us being men, is far more unmerciful, then to seeth a Kidde( that is a poor sinner) in his mothers milk: which is the excommunication, of his mother the Church: and b●side, it is clean contrary to the practise of the primitive Church▪ that in matters of death did never use excommunication at all. For the primitive Church used excommunication onely in those sins, where over the church had power. But the Church had never power over the cases of death: Ergo, the Church did never use it in the cases of death.  
But being merciful men, perchance they will hold one of them to bee enough for punishment: but both of them, to bee little enough, for to breed repentance. And therefore, they will haue them to be joined together onely▪ to work repentance effectually: very well, then they must be joined together onely in those cases, where the law respiteth the death of the sinner: which falleth not out in a thousand cases, in one year; and then in these cases by their own confession, without sin they may be divorced, Ergo, by their own confession, in some cases, without sin, they bee separate, and put asunder, the one from the other. And what if vpon this we should conclude,( that the ease standing alike, in the whole, and in the parts) that in all other cases, without sin, they may stand apart, and one without the other bee put in execution.  
But how haue our brethren forgotten their own rule? Nay the rule of the Apostle: which is, that wee may never do evil, that good may come of it. And therefore, that wee may never use ungodly cruelty, to beget most godly repentance thereby.  
But what? is it true indeed, that without excommunication, death inflicted by the civil Magistrate, is not sufficient, to beget repentance? De●th inflicted vpon Ach●n, brought forth a most humbled confession, without excommunication. Death, without exc●mmunication, wrought repentance in the thief, that was crucified with Iesus Christ. Death, without excommunication, hath wrought it, as our eyes haue seen, in many thousand sinners, that haue suffe●ed death, by the onely hand of the civil judge: and how hath the civil Magistrate, and his imposed death, lost his ancient, and his wonted force? how, hath it of a sudden become weak, that in all ages hath been so powerful to effect repentance?  
How many of the children of God, being never touched by the civil Magistrate, but being smitten only, by the immediate hand of God, and that with some lesser punishment, haue taken this smiting of God to the heart, and haue been truly touched in their hearts, with godly sorrow, that bread repentance, never to be repented of?  
Remember saith Salomon thy latter end, and thou shalt not sin for ever. If the bare remembrance of death, as witnesseth the ho●y Ghost, be able to drive a man from sinning, and so by consequent, to drive him unto repentance: what can the presenting of it to the view do, and the setting of it before the eye of the seeing, and beholding sinner?  
The hour of de●th is the farthest, and the last time, that the sinner taketh with himself, for the beginning, and accomplishment of his repentance: so that when the hour of death is come, the very prefixed time is come, that he set to himself, to repent in: and then either he must indeed repent, or else without all help of ●fter repentance, be damned for ever.  
And although the civil Magistrate, neither doth kill, nor intend to kill the soul: yet without repentance, the Lord, who on●y may lawfully do it, then killeth the soul, when the civil Magistrate killeth the body: then doth God separate the unrepentant sinner from himself; and from the company of the blessed souls, and from the Saints on earth; when the civil Magistrate, doth separate the sinner, from the land of the living: and then doth God give over the soul of the wicked man by excommunication from himself, to the divell: when the civil judge, doth give over his body, unto the executioner: and therefore excommunication is really contained in the civil punishment: and with greater power inflicted by God, and by his hand; by means of the civil Magistrate, then it can be inflicted, by the Church of God. For the church doth but represent it, but death doth present it; the Church doth but foreshow it, but death doth really show it: the Church doth but put in the fear, but death putteth in the feeling of it; the Church doth but give the sentence, but death giveth the present sense of it: and is the very executioner of excommunication. So that if excommunication be of that force, to breed repentance; it is not wanting in the civil censures: though the ecclesiastical censures be wanting there. And when it is without imputation of unjustice, ministered by God, more effectually, by the hand, and means, of the civil Magistrate, and every sinner evidently knoweth, and seeth, and heareth this: alas to what end shall it, with less power, and that with the blot of unmerciful dealing, be ministered by the Church of God? and he that feareth not God, that he may repent: h●w will he be afraid of the Church of God? and if a sinner fear not to be excommunicate, and separated by God: how will he fear, and be brought to repent, by the bare excommunication of the Church? An● when the civil Magistrate doth it with more power, and all sufficiently: it is too iridiculous, to do the same thing by the Church, and less in effect, and more far vnsufficiently.  
In a cast-away, both joined together, are not able to work repentance: in the child of God, one alone, without the other, is of power sufficient, able enough to work it: in a cast-away, both are bootless, in the child of God, both are needless: and therefore neither in the good, nor in the bad, is required a necessary coniunction of both these.  
And howsoever they will not aclowledge this sufficiency to the civil Magistrate onely: yet I hope they will not deny it to ecclesiastical censures alone, which we see wrought repentance in the incestuous person of Corinth; without the civil Magistrate: which wee see by experience to be of power to convert some, which they themselves would therfore join with the civil sword, that it might bring forth repenta●ce, and which they hold to be a holy means, given of God, to this end, that it might beget repentance in the man, that hath fallen away by sinn●: will they so disgrace their own censure, that it shall not be all sufficient without the addition of the civil sword?  
And surely, had this combination been a matter of that importance, and of that necessity, I assure myself, that the Lord would not haue denied both, to his own, and peculiar people the Iewes. Nor to his own, which was the first, and the primitive Church, but in that he giveth to them both, but either of them both: he plainly lets us see, what the iudgement of God is in this case: and that is, that either of them both, is of power, and all-sufficient, to work repentance, in all that belong, and appertain to the calling of God: and then if one, without the other, be sufficient to work repentance: In vain is it to use more means to work that, which by fewer means may be wrought as effectually.  
And as for the preservation of the sound, from the infection of the wicked, there can be no better means to effect that: then to make an utter separation between them, and of separations, there can bee none either more full, or more final, then that, which is made by death: by the which the corrupter of men, is utterly taken from among men: and separated finally from the sons of men. And being cut off from the earth, can never hurt the men of the earth any more. Now this separation being made by the civil Magistrate, is far more full, then the separation, that is made by excommunication: and therefore to effect this by the addition of excommunication, to the civil sword, is more then palpable folly.  
I conclude therefore, that if for the reuenge of sin: or for the breeding of repentance: or for the preservation of the good: there be no necessary coupling together, of the civil, and of the ecclesiastical censures required: then is there no necessary reason that may, or can enforce, the necessary coniunction of these two at all. But wee haue shewed before, that for none of these causes is required, any necessary coniunction of those two censures: and therefore, it followeth, that of those two, there is required no necessary coniunction at all.   

REASON. XX.  
ANd yet further, if of necessity the Church, and the civil power, must be joined together in all things: then they must jointly proceed, not onely to punish sin: but also, to judge between brother and brother, in matters of controversy, and in cases of right and law. And indeed, the Apostle, that in the fift to the Corinthians, and the latter end therof; invested the Church in the right, and power to punish sin by excommunication: in the very next words, which is in the beginning of the sixth, giveth power, and authority to the Church, to judge between brother and brother, in matters of law; so that the Church, by the authority of the Apostle, hath as good right, to judge in matters of law: as it hath, to judge in matter of sin. If then, they must join with the civil judge in cases of right: then must wee pull down our seats of iudgement, and build gr●ater: that may contain, not onely the Iudges of the Law, the Iustices of Peace, and their Officers: but also, the Ministers, and Elders of the whole Shire: then must the Ministers turn their studies, to look out what is right, and law in matters of controversies: then must they cease, to wait onely vpon the ministery of the word: and intermeddle with all cases, and controversies of the whole land▪ then must they deal in all those cases, wherein the iudges, and Iustices of peace, are tied by their office to deal; a thing which they permit not, no not to the Bishops of the church. And little reason shall they haue to condemn the Pope, for usurping authority in civil cases; when they themselves hold it still to bee the right of the Church: & themselves intermeddle therein. But if under a Christian King, and under Christian Iudges, they hold this to be no necessary duty of the Church; how do they hold it, under a Christian king, and under Christian Iudges, a matter of necessity, for the Church, with the civil judge, to punish sin? And if they can see, that the power to judge in matter of right, was but extraordinary, and onely for the times of persecution, and for want of Christian Magistrates: how cometh it to pass that they cannot see that the power to punish sin, was only extraordinary, and for the dayes of persecution, and f●r the want of Christian Magistrates? For they haue no more power to do the one, then they haue to do the other; and the power to do the one, they must hold to haue ceased: or else they must hold the absurdities afore mentioned: now let them choose of these two, which they will hold.  
And here I might stand to bring forth those particular cases, wherein the Church ought not to join with the civil Magistrate, in punishing of sin; as in the cases of death, of present repentance, and such like: and here I might show the great questions that might arise about their manner of proceeding: the fittest places, and the fittest times; the great also inconveniences, the manifold absurdities, and the mere impossibilities, implied herein, all which I omit: having dwelled already enough, if not too long, in this point. And thus I haue plain●ly proved, th●t it is no sin to d●sioyne, nor no matter of necessity to conjoin together, both these aforenamed censures.  
But though they cannot hold it to bee a matter of necessity, yet perchance they will hold it to bee a matter of expediency, and that it were meet for the better government of the Church, to be set up in this, and all other kingdoms of the world. But whither it be meet, or not meet, I will be no judge in this case: but leave the t iall of that, to men of more wisdom, and of better iudgement then my self am. For if they hold it a matter of no necessity, but onely of indifferency; and that where it is found expedient, it may be used: where it is found a matter of inconueniency, there it may be refused; they give me my question, and hold with me, that under a Christian king, it is a matter merely indifferent: and that there is no necessity laid vpon the king, to entertain it, or to set it up, in this land and kingdom of his.  
If therefore they hold it but a matter of expediency: they give me my question.  
If th●y hold it a matter of necessity, I shewed them their error, and therefore vpon the praemises I conclude, that the king by the civil sword onely, may punish all sins, without the ecclesiastical: and so leave no use no place; nor nothing for ecclesiastical Discipline to do, in this realm, and kingdom of his. And thus my argument remaineth firm, demonstrative, and is not, by any possible means, to be answered.  
And thus they granting, that the government of the jewish kingdom, and Church; is not to us necessary: and wee having proved, that the government of the primitive Church, is neither a matter of necessity to us: it followeth, that it is free for the king to set up either of them both, or to join together either of them both, or to receive neither of them both: and therefore, that it is lawful for the king to set up some other( if it may be) more fit, for godliness, and peace, then either of them both bee. And then, if it be lawful for the king, without sin to set it up; it i● lawful for us, without sin, to subscribe thereunto: and thus it is plain, th●t we in subscribing to this godly and peaceable government of the King▪ haue committed no sin, neither are we guilty of apostasy, or of treason to God, to his Church, or to his holy truth. But of sound knowledge, and of faith, & of infallible grounds out of the holy word of God, in peace of conscience, and in the peace of the Church, haue lawfully subscribed to the holy government of the Land, and Church.  
And thus, wee haue spoken in regard of the apparent truth of the cause, something too much; in regard of our enemies and friends, fully enough: but in regard of ourselves, something too little. For we desire at full, to let the world see, with what fear of God, with what care of our consciences, and vpon what sound grounds, wee haue proceeded. How diligently wee haue preached out the truth, & how we haue looked into every ●ooke and corner of the cause.  
And therefore in a word, wee will handle one point farther: for the satisfying of our enemies, and for the clearing of ourselves: and that is, that this government of ours, onely in a necessary circumstance, a●d in no material point, differeth from the primitive government of the Church. And this necessary circumstance, is in the onely addition of the officers, and the power of the King, to the ancient officers, and the power of the Church. And that to this end; that the king, as his duty, and place requireth, may see, that the censures of the Church be justly, without all partiality, put in execution.  
And here to show you this, I must tell you first: that in this our Church, wee haue in use all the censures of the primitive Church. For wee haue in use admonitions: lawful for the ministers, and the Elders of the Church: we haue suspension from holy things in use, and lawful for the minister alone; and we haue in use excommunication, lawful for the minister to administer: but so as the approbation, and coniunction of the king, and the officers of the king, for the faithfuller, and more forcible proceeding be first had, and obtained: and these are all the censures, that ever were in use in the primitive Church.  
And as we haue all the ruling censures in use, that ever the primitive Church had; so haue we all the same officers, that the primitive Church had, for the putting in execution of the primitive censures. For the officers of the primitive church, that onely, or principally intermeddled in the administration of the Church censures, were either lay, or else ministerial Elders: the ministerial Elders were either the Pastors of the Church; or else the holy Apostles and evangelists of Christ, to whom it was given to oversee, and overrule the whole Church: as for the lay Elders, they haue their being, & standing place in this Church of ours, under the name & title of Churchwardens, and Sidemen, to whom it is made lawful to oversee the manners of the whole Church, to give to the offensive parties, holy and wholesome admonitions, & of the greater offences, to inform themselves, their particular Pastor, & together with their Pastor, to inform the officers of the King; & so jointly to proceed to the execution of punishment, vpon the offensive perso●: the Elders therfore of our Church are the first, that espy & detect the fault, that give countenance, and consent, to the punishing of the fault, & desire under their hands, the help of the king, for the punishing of the fault, and this is, as I can soundly gather, all that the Elders had to do in the primitive Church.  
And if any be injured, or haue cause to complain, it is the particular Minister; but let us see what just cause of complaint is ministered to the Ministers. First, as watchmen, they haue power to spy out the sins of the whole flock: they haue power to admonish, to reprove, to exhort, and to rebuk them that sin openly. Secondly, they haue authority to suspend, and for a time to separate from the supper of the Lord, the offensive man: onely the absolute and free power to put in execution excommunication( the weightest censure of the Church) for the causes afore mentioned, is restrained, till the king be fully informed; of the needful, and the just use thereof. And the sin being once made known unto the king( that is to the officers of the king) and the sinn● b●i●g found to deserve so, the king as the first in place, giveth his consent, and his sentence first: and the minister as the second under God, and the king, joineth in the next place his sentence, and power with the power of the king, and thus the offensive man is separate from the Church, and cast out thereof, in the name of God, and the king. So the minister, is the first, that with the Elders, seeth the fault; the king is but the second, that searcheth out, and looketh into the accused sin: the Minister, with the Elders, are the first that detect the sin: the king is but the second, that examineth the detected sin; the Elders, with the ministers, are the first, that think the sin to be worthy of punishment, that give their allowance, & countenance thereunto: the king is but the second that well weigheth, first the cause, & considereth, whither it deserve excommunication; the minister, first consenteth, and in his private iudgement, excommunicateth the person; craveth and desireth the authority, and consent of the king: the king is the second in all this, and consenteth not, but vpon reasonable and just cause: and so maketh a wise stay of all rash and partial proceeding, and layeth a bridle vpon all sinister affections of the ministry. But the king vpon sound deliberation, and weighing well the matter, consenteth to the minister; and as he is first in power so onely in this one thing is he the first, that pronounceth the sentence; and the minister onely in this is but the second: and thus, where the cause is just, there join together, the king and the minister, in throwing out of the Church, a wicked man; the king first pronounceth him, then the minister denounceth him, to be an excommunicate person: and thus the minister hath his share, and interest in excommunication, as had the Pastors of the primitive Church: but restrained, as needs must be; that the authority of the king, may come in between, and haue his just place in the government of Gods Church, and though by this means, there be made some stay; yet the stay is recompensed, with the sound, and more adui●ed proceeding: and with the addition of the power of the king, to the power of the Church; and if in this circumstance, there be any other proceeding then just, the fault is in the corruption of the persons; and not in the sin of the course. And here what other cause haue our ministers to complain, as if they were wronged; save onely that they are ouer-looked, and ruled by the king, and be not as absolute monarchs in their Church, as the Pope is in his, or the king is in his? and now let our aduersaries speak, if such a one be an intolerable circumstance: and whither a man, by reason of this, is justly, and with a good conscience, withheld from subscription to the present estate.  
And thus, because the Church is increased with the person, and the power of the king: therefore the Church, beside the ancient officers thereof, hath received the increase of the officers, of the king; and these are the several Bishops, of every several diocese: which our aduersaries hold, to be an overplus, and an unnecessary burden to the Church. But I hold them, in, and over the Church, as necessary, as is the officers, and power of the king. For they bare the office, the rule, and the person of the king, in, and over, the whole Church. And therefore more plainly, to lay out this, to the understanding of the simplo: they must know, that in the person of the king,( who is, as our laws hold him, a person mixed, of a lay, and a spiritual man) is invested, the government of spiritual, and of lay men: the government therefore of the land, and the government of the whole Church of the land. Now the hands of the king, being by nature too short, to reach forth his government from one end of so great a kingdom, to the other: are by Arte politic, made exceeding long: by joining thereunto, the arms of inferior men: all which fastened together, lengthen out the arms of the king, and make him able for the smiting of a sinner, to reach, from one side of the kingdom, to the other: and from one end of the Church, to the furthermost part thereof. The king therefore, being not able to oversee his subiects, without his subiects: for the better ruling of his subject Church, and land:( according to the council of jethro, to Moyses) communicateth, and imparteth, to some sufficient, among his subiects, a little beam of that his imperial rule, and government, over the whole Church. And the persons to whom the king hath given of his spirit, that is, of his power to govern the Church, the men, the affairs, and the censures of the Church, are the Lords spiritual: that is the reverend Bishops of the land, whom the king hath increased, & made great by giuing unto them so great a power, by imposing vpon thē so great a person as his own is; & answerably thereunto, by endowing them, with baronies, and with the wealth and titles of great, and mighty Lords. Now these by the authority, and power of the king, being set over a whole diocese; that consisteth perchance, of many hundred parishes: are not possibly able, with their own eyes, to view and oversee the manners, and several sins, of so many hundred Ministers, and of so great a multitude of men: nor yet in all those places, the right execution of the primitive Church government, without the help of their inferior men: they therfore are enforced again, to set under ●hem, some Commissaries, some Archdeacons, & some Officials. And these setting ●p, and holding for the purpose a Court spiritual, receive information, of all open, and notorious crimes: and these men( the consent o● the Pastors, and Elders first had, by thei● pr●●entment: the cause so requiring) do in the name of the king, and in the name of the ministers, and the Elders, draw out the sword ecclesiastical, and put it again into the hands of the minister: therewith to smite in the name of God, and the King, the offending man. And thus it appeareth, that an addition of some such officers, must of necessity, under a Christian king be had, to oversee the right execution of the primitive Church government: or else, the Church of England must be exempted, and set free, from the supreme authority of the king: as the Church of Rome, and the Pope is; but our aduersaries by their subscription approve not this. And although the laying of this bridle vpon the ministers, layeth open a gap, to many inferior Officers, of much bribery, and partial dealing: yet for any thing I see, it openeth thereunto, no greater gap, no, nor in reason, so great as it would; if the bridle were taken away, and the Ministers left, to Lord it over their several flocks. And therefore, if the king; then the officers of the king, be necessary added to the Church of God: and if the king be not, how shall wee count the officers of the king, a burden, to the Church? but the spirit of Antichrist would be free, and bee set aloft, would rule, and overlook all, but would be ruled, and ouerlooked of none.  
But here ariseth a question, where about our aduersaries wrangle exceeding much, & that is: whither the king may not take of the ministers of the Church, as well as of lay men, & set them in his place, to rule over the Church; to oversee the particular proceedings of every Church, and endue these ministers, representing his person, with the honour, the titles, and livings of Lords. And howsoever it is unsavoury in the sense of our aduersaries: yet to me it seemeth a thing exceeding hard, that the ministry of Iesus Christ, and the public service of God, should keep him from all worldly preferment, and for ever after,( as if he had been convinced of some notable crime) make him uncapable of all civil honour.  
But here to prove the Ministers utterly uncapable of all civil honour, they allege the saying of Christ to his disciples, contending for the supremacy. Mat. 20.26. You know( saith Christ) that the Princes of the people bare rule over them; and they that are great men exercise authority over thē: &( as Luke saith, Luk. 22.29) are called gracious Lords: but it shal not be so among you. From hence they infer, that by Christ it is forbidden to the Ministers of the Church, to bear the titles, or the office of gracious Lords: and verily so well might they seem to do, if these were words of commandement, and spoken indifferently to all the ministers of Christ.  
But for my part, I hold,( first) these words to concern the after Ministers of Christ nothing at all: but to be spoken onely to his Disciples, as many other things were. For these words were spoken onely to them, the people being absent; and that not vpon any doctrine before delivered: but by occasion of a private controversy between themselves moved, and that was, which of all thē twelve, Christ being a temporal king,( for so they often before, and even then dreamed) should carry the greatest sway, and be the most gracious, and honourable Lord; matters, out of all controversy, onely concerning themselves, and their private honours: and touching the after Church of Christ, nothing at all; to this Christ maketh that answer before mentioned: and therein telleth them, that under him, and in his kingdom, which was not of this world, they must never hope for, nor expect, those honourable titles nor that lordly nor earthly rule: that in the courts of earthly kings, and princes of this world, such honourable titles might be had, but in his kingdom it was not so. And therefore their honour should not consist in the possession of offices, and titles that were of that nature: but rather in the painful work of their ministry, in the which, whosoever was the most painful man, should be the most honourable man. So that if their controversy was onely concerning themselves, and touched the Church of God no farther, then onely in the knowledge hereof, as out of all doubt it was; and if the answer of Christ was direct to their question, as out of all controversy it was: then it must needs be spoken to the Disciples of Christ onely, as many other things were: and therefore not to touch, nor to bind the after ministers of Christ any thing at all: no more, then they are conmaunded to preach the gospel to all nations of the world, because the Disciples of Christ were commanded so. And yet this better appeareth, by the answer itself, that Christ maketh to his Disciples: for that, the answer of Christ teacheth plainly an equallitie between those persons to whom he speaketh, he( saith Christ) that will be the greatest among you, let him be inferior or seruant unto all: but among the Apostles only in office, & honor, there was an equallitie: and not between the Apostles, and Prophets; nor between the Apostles & evangelists; nor between the Apostles and Pastors of the Church. There are diversity of gifts in the Church: an evangelist, is more then an ordinary Minister of the Church; a Prophet is more then an evangelist: and an Apostle, is more then a Prophet, and more then every Minister else of the Church. They are Ministers of Christ( saith the Apostle) I speak like a fool, I am more. There being therefore difference between the Apostles, and the after Ministers: and this being spoken only to thē where there was no difference, but an equallitie: could not equally be spoken to the Apostles, and to the after Ministers of the Church: and therefore are these wrongfully applied unto them.  
Secondly, I say, that even these words thus spoken by Christ, to the Disciples of Christ, are not a simplo forbiddi●g of them to take this honour, but a pl●ine foretelling of them, that they should not enjoy this honour: to you( saith Christ● it sha●l not bee so. This word shall, is a word of the Indicatiue mood, a●d the Future tense which foretelleth onely that it shall not be so; and not a word of the Imparatiue mood, which indeed fo●biddeth, th●t it be not so. If I say to John a N●kes, you shall not e Bishop of Canterbury, I mean not to forbid him, but only foretell him, that he shall not enjoy the place: so Christ only foretelleth them, that they shall not enjoy honor: but he doth not in one word forbid them to receive it, if any would make the man offer therof: & yet this better appeareth, for that in vain it were for Christ to forbid thē, the entertaining of such honor●●s in his foreknowledge he saw should never so much, as once be tendered, or offered unto them. Persecution & Bonds waited for thē & of this he foretold them: but lordships, and honour attended them not: and of this in this place, he foretold them, but forbade it not.  
A Prophet( as Elias) well might, and indeed did take unto himself, the title of a lord, when it was given him by Obadaiah, one of the lords of ahab: much more, may an Apostle, who is more then a Prophet, if it were tendered unto him, by any of the Emperours, or kings of the earth.  
The Elder that ruleth well, saith the Apostle to Timothy, is worthy of double honour: especially such as labour in the word, and in doctrine. I ask, what this double honour is? is it not worldly wealth? is it not authority over the Church? is it not reverence? the putting of the cap? the bowing of the body a reverent, yea, an honourable appellation, or title? or what? doth the word honour, that is to be given by all, exclude an honourable title, that is given by the king, and taken of our Bishops? this were strange. Pardon me, Christian brethr●n, if I interpret these words by you brought, in a sense something differing from the exposition of other, but agreeing with the words of Christ, the occasion of the Apostles, the proportion of faith, the very propriety of grammar, the use of the Church, and the very light, and manifestation of reason.  
And yet further, if these words of Christ forbid the office, and title of a gracious Lord, to the ministers of Christ: then they forbid also to them, the exercise of authority over others. For he that saith, they are called gracious Lords: saith also, they exercise authority over others: and by that commandment, that saith, it shall not be so with you, forbiddeth both alike. If so, then as the Ministers must not be called gracious Lords: so they must not exercise authority over others. If they must not exercise authority over others, neither must they exercise that Discipline ecclesiastical that they press vpon us so much: for Discipline Ecclesiastical, is authority ecclesiastical. But you will not deny, that Christ denieth unto you the exercise of your authority ecclesiastical over your Churches, any thing in those words to the contrary notwithstanding: and then may not( think you) the Bishops, with as good reas●n think, that Christ doth not in those words deny unto them, the offices, or titles of gracious lords, any thing in those wor●es to the contrary notwithstanding? or are you not partial in the interpretation of those words? interpreting that which seemeth against you for yourselves: and setting that vpon the rack,( giuing leave to no reasonable interpretation,) which maketh against the Bishops.  
And here brethren, let me a little wade with you in this your exposition of this place: wee urge you, that Christ forbiddeth, even s●, and no otherwise, the exercising of authority over others, then as he doth the t●king of the titles of gracious Lords: the answer of some of you to this is, that Christ forbiddeth onely the exercising of Lordly, or tyrannicall authority over others: and not the exercise of lawful ecclesiastical authority; and is not this I pray you the very answer of the Bishops to these words, and for the other part of the sentence also? and do you not see, that you are driven to the very same interpretation, for the upholding of your Discipline, that they are for the upholding of their Lordships? and yet is the answer good, as it cometh from, and serveth for you? and is it nought, as it cometh from, and serveth for them? brethren, this is no good dealing.  
But others answer, that Christ forbidding the exercising of authority, forbiddeth them only the exercising of civil authority. And these men you see plainly answer, by making a distinction: and showing, that there are two sorts of authority; the civil, and the spiritual: and that Christ forbiddeth onely to his Disciples the one, and not the other; very well, here you take liberty to answer by a distinction. And if you may take liberty to do this in one part of the sentence: may not the Bishops take liberty to answer the other part of the same sentence, by the same distinction? and say likewise, that as there is a civil and a spiritual authority: so there are civil, and spiritual Lords to exercise those authorities: and that the Lord forbiddeth them onely to be Lords temporal: but not to be Lords spiritual; and so by this your own answer, you must receive an answer to your own objections.  
And so by this answer of yours, if it be right, the meaning of Christ must be to forbid his Disciples, of poor fishermen, & Disciples persecuted, to become great, and honourable Lords temporal: and to intermeddle with the greatest offices and sway of the jewish commonweal. A thing in my iudgement, so far from the meaning of Christ, that I may say of this, that recitasse, is r●futasse: to repeat it, is utterly enough to refute it. For who seeth not, that Christ useth, as others, to forbid such things, as men are likely to fall into? but there was no likelihood that ever the Disciples of Christ should become temporal gracious lords: that is Dukes, or peers of the land, and carry the government of the jewish realm: no the Lord often foretelleth them this will never bee: it is therefore ridiculous to think that the meaning of Christ was to forbid this: but it is not so to think that he did foretell this.  
So that if for the upholding of your authority, you expound those words, as spoken of tyrannicall authority, you lump with the Bishops, if as spoken of civil authority: you make yourselves an answer: and what farther answer shall you need?  
And yet farther, let it be granted, that Christ forbiddeth to his Disciples the rule and the titles of civil Lords: because he would not haue his Church erected by countenance, and authority civil: least the work should seem to come of man, and not of God: Yet how doth it follow, that in a Church erected by poverty, there can bee no place for riches, and civil authority? and sith Christ forbade it to the twelve: how doth it follow, that therefore he forbade it to all the after Ministers of Iesus Christ? as if the Lord did envy all riches, and worldly honour to those, that he hath made heires with Christ, of this world, and the world to come.  
And yet further, say that a Minister, as he is a Minister of Christ, may not enjoy the title of a Lord: yet how is he here forbidden, as he is the minister of the king, and beareth his person, to receive the ●ame, if by the king it be put vpon him? I conclude therfore, that this place of Christ proveth it not to be unlawful for the ministers of Christ, to receive the wealth & titles, of gracious Lords.  
The second place that is brought by our aduersaries against the Lordship of Bishops, is taken out of the first Epistle of Peter, 5.3. where the Apostle exhorteth the Elders of the Church, to feed the flock which dependeth on them: and to take care of it, not by compulsion, but willingly; not as lording it over the lords heritage, but as ensamples of the flock: all which, it is plain, that the Apostle giveth not as a law, to forbid civil lordships to a Bishop: but imperious, and stately rule, to a minister. For the Apostle forbiddeth that sin that was incident, not only to after-times: but that which was incident to the times that were present then. But though the sin( as they call it) of civil lordship, be incident to our dayes: yet was it not incident to those troubled, and persecuted daies, of the primitive Church. Secondly, the Apostle giveth this precept to the particular ministers of every several, and lesser flock, and not to the overseers of the Church: such as timothy. Titus, and our bishops are: and therefore it is falsely wrested against them. Thirdly, it is given to the lawful Elders of the Church: and then if our Bishops bee not, as our aduersaries hold it, the lawful elders of the Church, this precept concerneth them nothing at all: and though the lesser and inferior ministers, may not be Lords: yet how doth it follow, that the overseers & rulers of the Church, may not be Lords? fourthly, the Apostle doth not forbid lordship in, or to the Church: but lordly reigning over the Church: a Bishop may be a Lord, and yet not Lord it, nor Lord-like reign over the Church: but in all uprightness, humility, and high lowliness, rule over it. A Barony, is a private honor to the Bishop: and not a public power or lordship, over the Church: and the Apostle forbiddeth n●t the rule, but the corrupt manner of rule, over the Church. Lastly, it is plain, that the word lording is a Metaphor, taken from evil and uncivil, civil lords, and applied to the Ministers of the Church, forbidding them, so to reign and rule over Gods flock, as evil lords reign over their flock. But here let us a little examine this point. What? doth the Apostle here forbid that rule of the primitive Church, that else where is permitted? And it is p●aine, that he doth not; how then? doth he forbid the Elders to rule their flock aright, & withall uprightness, as godly lords rule over their subject people? no neither: how then? Doth he forbid the Elders to rule the Church with the civil sword, as godly Lords rule their flock? if this be the sin that the Apostle forbiddeth to the Elders; then of this sin, are not our Bishops guilty. Who govern the Church by the ecclesiastical, and not by the civil sword: what is it then? Surely, the Apostle forbiddeth the Elders of the Church, so to rule their flock: as evil Lords, rule their people; but how do evil lords rule their people? Surely thus, they command others to give to the poor; but themselves will give nothing: they inform others to keep the law; but they break it themselves: they by main power, and by very force compel other to do well: but by no godly example of life. Now thus to govern and to rule the flock, the Apostle forbiddeth the Elders of the Church, and chargeth them, not to go about by the mere Discipline of the Church, ●wher●●●uer they had power) to drive imperiously the people of God to obedience: but rather, by their godly ex●mple of life, to draw the● thereunto, and therefore to lording over the flock, which he forbiddeth ●he opposeth the example of godly life: which he commandeth; an● therefore, by the opposition of godly exa●ple, to lording over the flock, wee may( as by the contrary) see, what is meant, by lording it over the heritage of the Lord: and this being the true sense of the place, let us see, how out of this sense, they can draw an argument, to overthrow the honor, and lordships of Bishops.  
And therefore to conclude this point, I reason thus, if a Lord temporal( which I think no man will deny) may be made a minister, and yet hold his Lordship: then may ecclesiastical ministry, and civil Lordship stand together. If he may be first a Lord, and then created a Minister: then may he be first a Minister, and after created a Lord.  
And h●ere I omit the example of the high Priest, among the Iewes, the example of Samuel a Prophet, and a judge of the land; the example of Elias, putting up this at the hand of Obadaiah; to be called my Lord El●as: and many other examples beside. these are sufficient, to prove that it is no sin for the king to give, or for the Bishops to take, or for us to subscribe to the Bishops Lordships.  
And thus as it appeareth, hath the king given overseers, and rulers over the Church: and endued them lawfully with riches, and titles honourable: but the question is, whither God, beside the ordinary ministers, ever gave overseers, and rulers over the Church? if he hath, then the next question is, what their office is, and how fa●re it doth extend, and stretcheth itself? to these questions, for the cleared of ourselves; and for the satisfying of our aduersaries must we needs make an answer: because, it is the opion of our aduersaries, that God never set any Bishops over his Church: and that their place is not of God, but altogether Antichristian.  
And for mine own part, this I hold; and mean by Gods grace to prove: that God never left his Church, without general overseers, and rulers over the Church: that is, over the standing Pastors, and people of the Church: and so by consequent, that an overseer, or Bishop of the Church, hath his standing, and place in the Church, as good, and every way as allowable, and approved of God as ever the ruling Elders had.  
And here before I enter into the proof of mine opinion, it is needful, that first we should agree about the name of a Bishop, or the overseer of the Church: and to dispatch this in a word, a Bishop in the Scripture phrase, is put for the ordinary Pastors of the Church; but in our phrase, it is put for the overseer, or ruler of the Church: that is, for such a one, as hath a special interest in the creation of Ministers, and in the administration of the Church censures that overseeth the life, and the doctrine of the Pastors, that looketh to the peace, and good order of the Church Such are our Bishops, and over seers of our Church, and such Bishops, and overseers, I mean to show, were set into the Church by God, and as concerning the word Bishop, which is made of the greek wo●d, Piscop, by taking away the former, and latter Letters, if it offend any man, they may, f they please, call thē superintendents, in Latin: or overseers in English. If we agree about the matter: I love not to contend about the name, and here I mean to prove first, that ever God gave overseers to his Church, and never left it free, from superior rule, and that it is a matter convenient, to follow the form, and pattern that God gave to his Church, for the government thereof, in this point. Secondly that the governors, and overseers that God gave, wear altogether of the same nature, and had the same power over the Church that our Bishops haue.  
And now to prove that God gave overseers to his Church, I allege, the manifest, & express example of the spirit of God, that first gave Apostles to take vpon them the care, and government of all the Churches. Yea then, when the Churches were replenished, both with sufficient Pastors, and with ruling Elders. As appeareth by the example of Paul, that being from the Church of Corinth, reproveth the Church there; for suffering among them that incestuous, and offensive man: and ouer-ruleth them by his authority, and commandeth them, together with himself, to cast him out of the Church of God. Secondly, this more evidently appeareth, in that the Apostles, in their absence, set Titus over the whole country of Crete: and timothy over the whole Ephesian Church: and so it appeareth, that in the dayes of the primitive Church, overseers had their place and standing, in the Church of God, by the appointment and ordinance of God himself. Now if such a government were, by the very confession of our aduersaries, such a government ought to be now. If such Gouernours to use our aduersaries reason) by God were given his Church: such Gouernours ought to be given to our Church now. For the Church ever being, the Gouernous of the Church must of necessity ever be.  
But to take away this plain, and manifest example of God, and proof of ours; they haue no other escape, nor st●rting hole; but onely to allege: that timothy and Titus, were evangelists, and that by virtue onely of that calling, they held the overseeing power, and general rule over whole Churches. But now, they simply, and truly hold that, those gifts are taken from among men of the Church: and therefore, they falsely infer, that for want of those gifts, the Bishoplike office, is perished out of the Church.  
In which answer of theirs, there are as many untruths, as there be full periods. The first whereof is, that Titus and timothy, did hold the oversight of those Churches, by virtue of their evangelical functions. For the Apostles, that were not evangelists, held it as well as the evangelists did: and again, the evangelists hold it, as well as the Apostles did: which argueth, that it appertaineth not to either of them, by virtue onely of their different callings: for then it must haue been kept proper to either, and several, as their callings were: and not made common to both, but being by the Apostle set over, to the evangelists, it is plain, that it was proper to neither of their callings; but common to more.  
To be an evangelist, is to be free; and to follow the steps of the Apostles: and to build further, by the preaching of the gospel; and not as overseers of some larger Churches to bee perpetually affixed thereunto. But it is plain, that timothy was affixed to the Ephesian Church; and if he were ever removed, let our aduersaries( against the testimony of the ancient, and vnparciall Church, that is, to the end of that Epistle to timothy affixed) show that: but here I must admonish them, that if they intend to show that, they must bring better reasons, and proofs, then to show, that timothy was afterward sent for by Paul. For the sending for him to come to Paul, argueth no more, the removing of him, from his affixed place: then to sand for the bishop of Saint Andrewes to the court, argueth the putting him out of his bishopric there.  
It is in reason to bee thought, that timothy so excellent an evangelist, and of so long standing in his calling, knew before he was affixed to Ephesus, what did appertain to his evangelical office. But what did appertain to the government of the Ephesian Church, he sufficiently knew not, before the Apostle, with a new doctrine, and new rules, for the new place had furnished him: & therfore he writeth unto him saying; these things, haue I wrote unto thee, that thou mightest know how to behave thyself in the Church of God: that is in the government, and rule of the Church of God. E●go, he giveth him precepts for the government of Gods Church: which was to timothy a new, and other office, then the evangelical office was, wherein he was so well experienced before.  
And yet further, that this was the standing calling of the Bishop put vpon him, for his whole life, I argue: because Paul giuing him precepts for his particular behaviour there: chargeth him, saying, I charge thee before the Lord Iesus, keep this commandment without blame, and spot to the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ: that is at the least, to Timothies dying day. Secondly, for that he giveth to timothy, and in him, to the Church perpetual, and everlasting rules to proceed by, in the government of the Church: which I think that our aduersaries themselves will not, nor cannot deny. Thirdly, for that sitting there, the Apostle writeth unto him a second Epist●e,( being now the second time to answer at Rome, before Nero, which was a very little before his death) and chargeth him to look to that his Depositum, or office, in trust committed unto him. 2. Tim. 1.14.15.16.17.18. And the subscription to the Epistle. 2. Tim. 4.6. All which argueth a long time of his sitting over the Ephesian Church, there he sat when Paul went to Macedonia, and there he sat, when Paul was to die at Rome. 2 Tim. 1.18. with the 2. Tim. 4.19. and 2.14.15.16. Fourthly, for that, if his placing there, had been onely to add some things left imper●ect, and so to haue left the Church, to the other officers of the Church, as the Pastors and Elders: in a short time, he might haue dispatched this business, and followed the Apostles steps. But the Apostle giveth him charge to oversee the life, and the doctrine of the settled Pastors: and therefore though the Pastors, and Eldership were settled; yet over them still, was timothy to abide an overseer: and not vpon the settling of them, to depart: and therefore there could no just cause of his after remove be alleged, which was not even then in being, when yet it appeareth that he was not removed at all. And so it appeareth, that he had not the wandring function put vpon him of an evangelist: but altogether a new office, which was the standing office of a Bishop, as the subscription to the Epistle calleth him.  
timothy was set to oversee the Church of Ephesus; therefore he executed this office of his, as an overseer of the Church of Ephesus: but the office of an evangelist is one, and the office of a Bishop, is an other; differing therefrom. For if the office of an evangelist, and the office of a Bishop be all one, then so many sufficient Bishops as we haue; so many evangelists we haue: but we may let you easily see, and mean afterward, so to do, that wee haue many suficient Bishops, for the oversight of the Church: we should therefore haue so many evangelists, which I hope our aduersaries will never grant the king: a temporal Lord, set by the king; a superintendent, set by the reformed Church: are sufficient overseers of the Church; and yet no evangelists I hope. It followeth therefore, that an evangelist, and an overseer of the Church, be different offices. It thē they be different offices, & timothy did execute his office, at Ephesus, as an overseer, then he did not execute it, as an evangelist; as falsely our aduersaries replied to our former argument.  
The second error ●n their answer is, that this ouersi●ht of the Church, being tied to the greater callings, is perished with them: all which opinion of theirs, is utterly false. For the greatest gifts dwelled in the Apostles, in whom was first set this governing power: the lesser gifts, were in the evangelists, in whom also this governing power after dwelled: and therefore, necessary, and plainly, I infer from thence: that this governing power, is not proper onely to the greatest gifts, but common to these of lesser measure.  
Secondly even in these dayes of ours, there are men sufficient enough, and very able, to perform all that the Apostle in timothy requireth to the oversight of the Church: which what it is, we mean to show in our answer to the next question: if then there be in our Church, men of sufficient gifts, for the execution of the overseers office: then how is this function perished, as our aduersaries say, for want of sufficient gifts? For there being able, and sufficient gifts, for that office: I cannot see, that an overplus, or that gifs more then sufficient, are of necessity required thereunto.  
Thirdly, having the pattern of the primitive government given us, and the gifts not given us: I think it better, and more safe, to keep the pattern, though we haue lost the gifts: which is to keep one, when we cannot haue both: then having lost the gifts, to cast away the pattern, & so, because we cannot haue that one, to cast away both: and that it is more true wisdom, to keep in our Church, the pattern that God gave, without the gifts: then with the want, ot the loss of the gifts: to loose, & to want, the image, and resemblance, of the government of God, and that it is better to proportion ours to that; and to come unto it as near as we can: though we cannot fully shoal it, and match it every way.  
And thus doth our argument, taken from the pattern of the primitive Church, stand firm, and sure; their cauelling reply to the contrary notwithstanding: & thus haue we, by a particular & manifest ex●mple, that cannot be denied, taken from the word of God, plainly proved, that overseers, & Bishops, were by God, given to the primitive Church. Now it is not in reason to bee thought, but that( these Bishops, Timothy I mean, and Titus, living & dying, in the midst of the Church) the Church would inquire, and ask of them the will of God, concerning their succession; & concerning the perpetuity of the office, that they bore, & that they resolved the Church, that the will of God was, that others after them should sit in their seat: and hold the helm, as they did in all the dayes of their life, of the troubled, and persecuted Church of Christ, & that by their appointment, successors were decreed, and agreed on. For I dare not persuade myself, that either the church then, being in his sincerity, would be so careless, or negligent, as not to inquire of this point, having the opportunity of an evangelist, to give them an answer: or so bold, & perverse, as contrary to the resolution of Timothy, to set up in his place, an overseer to succeed after him. But what do we need, to run to reasonable conjectures, when we haue an express commaundent to Timothy, for doing so? For Paul, that charged Timothy in his first Epistle, 1. Tim. 6.20. to keep that which of trust was committed unto him: that is, the sincere government, and doctrine of the Church: again, in his second Epistle( to let the world know, that the same office at the time of his second Epistle, was still in the hand of timothy) remembreth unto him the special care afore commanded, saying, O Timothy, 2. Tim, 1.14. keep the excellent thing that thou art put in trust with. And a few words after, he addeth, saying, 2. Tim. 2.2. What thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, those things commit to faithful men, which are fit also to teach other men. So that it is plain, that it was commanded unto timothy, to set over the thing, in trust committed unto him, to others, that are fit, and able men. But the thing in trust committed to timothy, was the government of the Church, and the doctrine of Christ. The oversight therefore of the Church, and the sincere doctrine of Christ, was by commandment of God, to be set over by timothy to others: able and fit men, not onely to govern( for that must bee understood by his relative also) but also to teach others: and what can bee more plain then this, to the proving of a succession of bishops, after timothy, I cannot see.  
And yet farther, to argue the use, and gift of Bishops unto the Church; I use the like reason, that our aduersaries used, for the proving of the perpetuity of their ruling Elders, and I reason thus: that officer that by God is set into the Church, and hath there his gifts described, his office at large defined, hath his place of God, in the Church of God: But an overseer, or Bishop, in the person of timothy, was set into the Church by God: and he hath in the word, his gifts, and his office, at large expressed, namely, in the whole Epistle of timothy: Ergo, an overseer, or a Bishop, hath his place, in the Church of God, by God.  
again, the office of timothy, was to oversee the Church( namely of Ephesus:)  
But the office of timothy, did not die with timothy: ergo, the office of overseeing the Church, did not die with timothy.  
If the office of Timothy had been to die with timothy, is it like that the spirit, to show an office of so short continuance, would haue indicted an Epistle, of so great a length: & haue given it to the Church, as a parcel of Gods word, that endureth for ever?  
If the office of timothy, being set out in a particular Epistle to timothy, was made private, and particular to timothy onely, and not common to more: then the other offices of the Church, by the same particular Epistle established, and appointed to be created, and overseen by timothy, are to die, and to bee determined with him: the offices then of the Elders, the Pastors, the Deacons; the widows, that were to be erected, and governed by timothy, must die with timothy; when beside timothy, after his death, none such may arise that hath like power, as he had, to ordain, to create, to erect, and oversee such officers, and such offices. For the creating cause being taken away: the creature itself, must needs bee taken away also with it.  
The Apostle speaketh to Tim●thie the overseer of the Church, concerning the fit gifts of himself, being to oversee the Church, 1. Ti. 6.14. & saith, I charge thee in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, that thou keep the commandement without spot, & blame, until the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. But how could Timothy, that was to the before the coming of Iesus Christ, keep that commandement till the coming of Iesus Christ: and therefore, that it might be perpetual, and till that time observed, it must bee observed of a timothy: not in name, but in nature: not in the person, but in the office and succession of timothy: that can make onely this rule perpetual, to the coming of Christ. But the nature, the office, and succession of timothy: was the nature, the office, and the succession of overseers: that therefore was to keep that commandment, till the day of the Lord. And therefore, if that commandment implieth in it the ecclesiastical government, and chargeth the perpetuity thereof, as some of our aduersaries haue understood it: then as it chargeth the perpetuity of the government, so the perpetuity of the person, that must keep the government; and the person that must keep it, was the overseer, or Bishop of the Church: whom yet our aduersaries would throw out of the Church, and retaining the rule, cast out the ruler; and so use, and refuse, at their pleasure; what pleased their own humour: but vpon what reason let the reader judge.  
In the Church which is the best estate, there must not be a democraty, which is the worst estate:  
But where overseers are taken out of the Church, and all are left in an equallitie of power: there is a democraty, or a popular state:  
Ergo, overseers must not be taken away out of the Church.  
whatsoever good order requireth in the Church, that must be there:  
But good order requireth a priority in calling, and a government over a body: whither natural, politic, or ecclesiastical:  
Ergo, such a calling, such a government, and such governors must be there.  
In all ages since Christ, the Ministers of the Church haue had their overseers: in the time of Christ, Christ held it over his Disciples; in the dayes of the Apostles, the apostles ●eld it over all the Church: after them, the evangelists held it over the whole Church, all their dayes: and after them, the godly Bishops, that were the most notable and choice men of all ages, held it, until this day of ours: and had this been so unlawful a calling, and so Antichristian, as our aduersaries hold it, would Iesus Christ haue held it? would the Apostles, evangelists, the Martyrs, and Bishops of all ages, haue held it, so many hundred yeeres together? or must now the Ministers bee set free: that so many ages of the world, haue ever been under the government, of superior Bishops?  
God hath given overseers to his Church, the King giveth overseers to the Church: themselves set up superintendents over the Church: and yet must overseers, or Bishops needs be taken away from out of our Church?  
But I hope, that by this time, they see their error: I leave therefore to prosecute this point, and I come to see, what manner of Bishops they were, that God gave to his Church: and how far their office did extend itself.  
And this we may best see, in timothy, whom God gave an overseer of the church: and in the Epistles to timothy, which for that p●rpose were specially written, by the holy Ghost, and left as teachers for ever unto the Church, to let the Church know, what the office and duty is, of the overseers of the flock of Christ.  
And first in those Epistles, I plainly see, and it cannot be denied, but that timothy and Titus were by their calling, preachers of the word, and so to do, haue a special charge given them by the spirit of God. 2. Tim. 4.1.2. An overseer therfore, or a Bishop of the Church, by his calling, must be a Minister, and dispenser of the Mysterers of God.  
Secondly, as touching his life, he must be an ensample of the flock in word in conversation, in charity, in the spirit, in faith, in purity. 1. Tim 4.12.13. and 6.11.12. He must follow piety, faith, love. patience, and meekness: he must fight the good fight of faith, &c.  
Thirdly, as concerning his exercises, he must give attendance to reading, 1. Tim. 4.13. but bodily exercise, as that which profiteth but little, he must but little use.  
Fourthly, as concerning his office, to govern the Church: it stretcheth itself partly over the under officers of the Church: and partly over the people. His office over the under officers, is either over the preachers of the word; or over the others that preach not the word: the other officers that preach not the word, are either men or women, bearing office in the Church: the men are Elders and Deacons, the women are the aged widows concerning all which,( excepting the lay Elder) the Apostle instructeth timothy, what manner of persons they must be, that must by timothy, to those functions be chosen: & what care is to be taken in the choice of them: and this is the first part of the Bishops office, to make a fit choice of able, and sufficient men, to occupy those rooms.  
Secondly, he is to haue a special stroke in the creation of Ministers, lay hands, saith the Apostle, rashly vpon no man. 1. Tim. 5.22.  
Thirdly, being once created ministers, he is first to look to their doctrine, that they teach not perverse, and false doctrine: that they teach not fables, and genealogies. 1. Tim. 1.3.4. Especially, that about indifferent things, as meate, and marriage, they teach not that unsound, and false doctrine, that was foretold by the spirit, to be broached in the latter dayes. 1. Tim. 4.3.  
Thirdly, they must see, that Ministers make prayers, and supplications, and thanksgiving, for all sorts of men: especially, for kings, and Princes. 1. Tim. 2.1.2.  
Fourthly, he must look unto the life of the Ministers, and punish them if they be found in fault: receive no accusation against an Elder, saith the Apostle, under two, or three witnesses. 1. Tim 5.19.  
Fiftly, if the Ministers labour in the word, and are faithful, he must see that due honour, and maintenance be given unto them, the Elders that rule well, saith the Apostle, are worthy of double honor, especially, such as labour in the word, and doctrine. 1. Tim. 5.17.18. And these are his particular dueties, in regard of the Church Ministers: Ergo, here is an overseer of the Ministers, a Bishop of Bishops.  
In the next place he is to look unto the peace of the Church, if any man, saith the Apostle, teacheth diverse doctrine, and cometh not unto the sound doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ, and to the doctrine that is according unto godliness: he swelleth, and knoweth nothing, but is mad about questions, and the contentions of words. 1. Tim. 6.3.4.5. Whereby riseth envy, evil speaking, evil suspicions, perverse practices, of men corrupted in mind, & which are deprived of the truth, and make gain of godliness, depa●t from such.  
sixthly, he must look unto good order, and unto comeliness in the Church. I permit not a woman, saith the Apostle, ●o teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, &c.  
But the greatest matter of doubt is, whither the Bishop might censure the offending Christians, that lived under the government of several Elderships, & under the power of their standing, and their ordinary Pastor. And for my part, I plainly see, from the doctrine, and practise of Paul: that timothy and Titus, had a gen●rall commandment to overlook both the Pastors, and all their particular flocks: and therfore the Apostle giveth them in charge: to look unto the rich men, and unto seruants, to overlook women, and generally all men. 1. Tim. 6.17.18.19. and 6.1.2. Them that sin, saith the Apostle, reprove openly, that the rest may fear. 1. Tim. 5.20. If he may openly reprove the open sinner, I make no question, but that he might also punish them, if the case so require, with excommunication. Exhort, improve, rebuk, saith Paul to Titus, 2.15. with all authority: but without the administration of the censures, he could not withall authority rebuk: the use of thē. Therfore, was permitted unto Titus. An heretic after the first, or second admonition, saith Paul, eschew. Tit. 3.10. Knowing that such a one sinneth, being damned of himself: he giveth him in those words expressly, power, to excommunicate heretics: if any man teacheth diverse doctrine, saith Paul to timothy, as we cited the place before, him eschew: he giveth in like manner to timothy, authority, to cast out of the Church by excommunication, the schismatic, and the troublesone man: and yet this is made plain, by the practise of Paul: that of himself delivered unto satan, Hymeneus, and Philetus, that they might learn not to blaspheme. 1. Tim. 1.20. And yet is it made more plain by his proceeding against the incestuous person, among the Corinthians. Of whom Paul having intelligence by common report, determineth thus, saying: For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, haue determined already, as though I were present, that he that hath done this thing, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ, that such a one, I say, by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ, be delivered unto satan: where wee plainly see, that Paul the general overseer of the Church, being absent, joineth with the Eldership, in casting out, that incestuous person, giveth them commandement to do it; and first pronounceth by h●s writing, and word, the excommunication against that sinful man: and this authority of his, he put over to timothy, and to Titus over those s●u●rall Churchs, where-ouer they had authority and power: and they set it over again to the after Bishops, and this is the very power, and all the power, that is put in use, and practised by our reverend fathers, the Bishops of England.  
And thus not running to the fathers, which are but the lesser stre●mes; b●t to the scriptures, which are the very fountains of truth, we find at large described, the office of the Bishop, or the oue●seer of the primitive Church: yet safe, and pure, and without all spot, & blot of human corruption. Now what Christian heart is there, that considering all these parts, so specially, and manifestly delivered, can once think or persuade itself, that all this was written for one timothy, or for one Titus onely, and for no more: a●d that with them, this doctrine, the use of all these holy duties, the practise of all these holy commandments, this power of overseeing the Church, this holy, and profitable office, was to live, and to die, and after them, never more to haue his use, or power in the Church of the li●ing God? and that onely for the guiding of one or two men, and for no more, was all this scripture inspired by God? and that it served for no after age for ever? or who rather doth not beleeue, that to this end, was all this written, to teach for ever unto the Church, what is the office, and the duty of the overseers of the Church, that should in all ages of the world spring up for ever.  
And now out of all this, it appeareth: first, that the gifs, the calling, and the office of a Bishop, is particularly, & at large desciphered by the holy Scriptures, inspired by God: & that this was another office, then the office of the Euangelelist was: namely, the office of a Bishop, or the office of an overseer of the Church; and the self same office, that of trust is committed to our reverend Bishops, the overseers of the English Church. O could our aduersaries, out of the Scriptures of God, show the office of their ruling Elder, thus particularly and plainly, at large described: How would they triumph, and conclude, that he was set into the Church by God; that he had his place, his office, and his calling, at large given him by the power of our Lord Iesus Christ: and therefore that he was to abide for ever in the Church of God.  
Secondly, this being the office of a Bishop, it is apparent, as I said before; that for the execution hereof, there is no necessity of the gifts of an evangelist: or of the Apostles of Iesus Christ, and that God in mercy, hath given to our Church, many excellent men, that for gifts are made able, and sufficient to bare and to execute this overseers office.  
Thirdly, that the office of a Bishop, given by God, and the office of a superintendant given by the reformed Churches, is not all one: & that God never gave, as our aduersaries fancy to themselves, Titular Bishops, that is Bishops, in title, and name: but not Bishops in office, and power: such as our Bishops be.  
Fourthly, that Bishops are no Antichristian creation: but that they had their first ordinance, and institution of God: and that had they kept themselves, within the compass that was set them by God, there had been no fear, of a Pope, to spring out of their offspring: But ranging out of their stinted place, and adding to Bishops, Patriarkes, and Cardinals: and to those adding Popes: out of the addition of man, and not out of the creation of Bishops, which were of God, Antichrist sprung up: by the principal, if not onely help of ecclesiastical Discipline retained, used, or rather abused by the Pope: powers therfore, in, and of the Church, above the Bishops of the Church, the Church of God never knew neither was it lawful, sith God gave B●shops, for the Church to give Patriarkes, or Popes. No the ordinance, and the pattern of God, is closely to be sticked unto, & it was not lawful to go an inch from the example of God, in setting up overseers, over the Church.  
Fiftly, that the office of a Bishop, all the day of the persecuted Church at the least, had his perpetual, & necessary place, in the Church of God In which time he sat as a king, in the want of Christian kings, to govern the whole Church, that was under him. And even now in the dayes of Christian kings, he hath as good, if not far better place, by God given him in the Church, thē the ruling Elder hath: and sith it hath pleased the kings majesty, when he might utterly haue banished the discipline Ecclesiastical, to let it,( it being first made fit for his kingdom) haue his seat, and footing within this kingdom of his: I see no reason, why the other parts therof should be left in use, and the overseers of the Church, the principal part thereof, be discontinued, and banished out of the land. The reformed Churches therefore, by cutting away of Bishops, haue made a maim in the body of Christ, and haue imperfectly, and to halves retained, and set up the Primitime government of the Church.  
And here, least my arguments as a loose broom, should not sweep clean, and carry all before them, I will fasten them a little closer, and press them into a few short, and plain conclusions. Where first I will lay down this, as the ground of the rest, that the office of timothy,( which I will prove to be the office of a Bishop) is perpetual. I mean to the persecuted, yea & to the peaceable Church: so far forth, as is requisite for the creating, and for the well governing of the created ministry: though not for the governing of the people; which I hold as the rest of the primitive government, under a Christian king, to be altogether arbitrary. For there ever being a ministry to teach, though not to govern the people: I hold a necessity of a Bishop to create, and to govern this ministry: which indeed was the principal office of timothy, though I think that at the first, and in the persecuted church, he had a special stroke in the government of the people, as our Bishops haue at this day: and my arguments for the p●ouing of the perpetuity of Timothies office are these.  

1. D A. whatsoever is described and taught in the first Epistle to timothy, is perpetual.  
R I. But the office of timothy is there described, and taught.  
I. Ergo, it is perpetual.   
The Maior of this syllogism, may not bee denied by our brethren: for it is their own, and it is grounded vpon those words to timothy, 1. Tim. 6.14. I charge thee to keep those things vnblameable to the day of the Lord, whence they conclude that all things in that Epistle must be kept to the day of the Lord.  
The Minor is appaernt by that description of Timothies office before described, and particularly set down as it is gathered out of that Epistle.  
The conclusion followeth vpon the praemises.  

2. D A. The principal subject matter of the Epistle to timothy is perpetual.  
R I. But the office of timothy is the principal subject matter of that Epistle.  
I. Ergo, the office of timothy is perpetual.   
The Minor of this syllogism is proved by these words to timothy in that Epistle, 1. Tim. 3.14.15. These things haue I wrote unto thee, that thou mightest know how to behave thyself in the Church of God till I come: the which words plainly show that it was the main intent of Paul in that Epistle to teach timothy his duty in the Church government.  
The Maior is proved thus.  

D A. every part of the word of God that is a parcel of the gospel is perpetual.  
R I. But the principal subject matter of that Epistle is a part of the word of the gospel.  
I. Ergo, the principal subject matter of that Epistle is perpetual.   
3. If that Epistle to timothy, concern onely timothy, and bind not the Church after him, then some parts of the gospel by their own confession are particular, and concern onely private persons, and bind not the after Church any thing at all.  
Ergo, those words of Christ to his Disciples, they are called gracious Lords, but it shall not be so with you, may be particular, and concern onely the Disciples of Christ, and bind not the after Church, any thing at all.  
I allege this reason to let them see how partial they are, that can make at their pleasure some words, for their own advantage, particular, that are general: and some again of the same nature for their advantage, general, that are particular.  

The offices that are alike and equally established in the same Epistle to Timothy, are of alike, and of the same continuance, and perpetuity.  
But the office of timothy is a like, and equally established in that Epistle to timothy, as is the office of the Minister, and the Church widow.  
Ergo, it is of the same continuance, and perpetuity.   
But they hold the office of the Minister, the widow, and Deacon to be perpetual, ergo, so must they hold the office of timothy, to be perpetual.  
Thus having proved the office of timothy to be perpetual, I infer, that the office of timothy in that Epistle put vpon him, was the office of the Bishop. I prove it thus.  

The office there put vpon Timothy was the office of an Apostle or evangelist, or Pastor, or Doctor, or Bishop.  
But not the office of Apostle, evangelist, Pastor, or Doctor.  
Ergo, the office of a Bishop.   
That the office put thē vpon timothy, was not the office of an Apostle, that I take as granted: for it was too great. again, that it was not the office of an ordinary, and vnder-Pastor, or doctor, that I take as granted: For it was to abase him over much: but whither it was the office of the evangelist, is the main question: but I will out of all question take away that question, by this argument.  

The office put vpon timothy there, was perpetual.  
But the office of the evangelist was not perpetual.  
Ergo, the office there put vpon timothy, was not the office of the evangelist.   
Thus my argument standeth firm, that concluded, that Timothies office, which was the Bishops office, is perpetual: and from hence I infer one thing farther, and that is this.  

Such a Bishop as timothy was, were the Bishops of the primitive Church.  
But timothy was not a bare Titular Bishop.  
Ergo, The Bishops of the primitive Church were not bare Titular Bishops.   
The king therefore, as he found the Discipline of the Church by hand delivered unto him: so he again, dealing with all faithfulness, del●uereth the same; without maim, and without all courtailing thereof, to this age, and Church of ours: and those whom God gave overseers to his Church: even of those hath the king made choice, and hath given them overseers for himself: whom God once choose, the king hath chosen: whom God set to oversee the Church; them hath the king set, to oversee the Church, and to govern it for him; and them whom God gave in the want of Kings, to reign as Kings, and to rule his Church: even them hath the king given to reign, under, and for him, in and over the ancient Church, of Iesus our Lord, and king. So that the Bishops had their first place of God: but now they haue it of the king also; & so there is some thing of the Bishop, that was of God: and that is their first institution, and creation: and something that is of the king; and that is their Baronies, and their power also, to rule in stead of the king, over the Church of England. We therefore, that haue subscribed to the book of the ordination of Bishops and Deacons haue subscribed only to the ordinance, and to the institution of God, and the king: and so we haue committed no evil, nor done any sin at all, in that out of so good grounds of the word of God, we haue subscribed first to the ordination of Bishops: and by consequent, to the established government of this our Church: which we haue shewed to come more near to the primitive government, which was in the Apostles dayes, then that of the reformed Churches: and which differeth even from that which followed immediately, nohing at all: or else in no material point, but onely in a necessary circumstance. And thus much for our answer touching subscription to the book of ordination of Bishops, and Deacons.  
And now, in a word to answer for our subscription to the book of Common Prayer, reformed: I confess, that I see many cauels brought against it but no objection of any weight, or any worth; or that deserveth an answer: and yet hath been already sufficiently answered, by men of far more excellent gifts, then myself am: vpon whose answer, unanswered, I repose myself contentedly, and thereunto I wish for answer, all others to refer themselves: onely I admonish all men of this, that as in reading of the Scriptures, there must be a construction had, of the places that seem to differ, answerable, and agreeing, to the proportion of faith: least there be a place left for the Atheists, and heretics, to cavil there against: so in reading all other Authors, and books; especially that of Common Prayer, there must bee used the like, and a gentle construction: which being in love, and duty afforded thereunto, they shall find therein nothing disagreeing, or differing one jot from the proportion of faith: and let them remember, that atheists and heretics, haue picked quarrels, and found matters of cavil, even against the holy book of the Bible: and therefore no marvel, if a cavilling spirit, may find some matter of cavil, against the book of Common Prayer: the proverb is true, it is an easy matter to find a staff to beat a dog. And thus much concerning subscription.   
FJNJS.