M.
You may easily know what, by what is already said;
1. I have fully proved as aforesaid in my Treatise of Episcopacy,
that if Episcopacy were never so certainly of Divine Institution,
this Form of Diocesan Prelacy deposeth quantum in se, the old
Church Form, the old Episcopacy, the old Presbytery, and almost
all true Discipline, and in stead of each, sets up that which is re∣pugnant
to the Word of God. And must we all confederate to
maintain this Church Corruption; and all agree to renounce Re∣formation,
or any Conviction tending to Repentance?
2. I have told you what it is for Lay-men and Courts to arro∣gate
the Decretive Power of the Church Keys, and for single
Priests and Officials to rule all the Clergy and People as under
them; And for our Prelate to undertake to be the sole Bishop
over many Hundred Clergy; And then to Govern per alios, in a
secular manner, even by Lay-men, that do that in his Name
which he knows not of, and this in order to Gaols and Ruine.
If all this be agreeable to God's Word, what is contrary
to it?
3. I have told you what it is to make every Church Officer so
necessary, as that it should be Excommunication to say Any one
of them is sinful, when as Learned good Men as most the
World hath, have written to prove almost all of them sinful
corrupt Inventions of Arrogance; and that it's far worse for Men
to presume to make new Forms and Offices of Church Govern∣ment,
than new Ceremonies.
4. The Parliament of England condemned the Oath called the
& caetera Oath in the Canon of 1640. And the late long Parlia∣ment
of 1662. never restored it, nor any since. And was it not
formed according to this Canon? What's [&c.] but [And the
rest that bear Office therein] (reliquos ad ejusdem gubernaculum con∣stitutos)
For my part, tho' I have oft read over Cousins Tables,
and the Canons, I do not yet know and remember all the Church
Governing Courts and Offices? How many there be besides the
Bishop, the Chancellors Court, the Arches, the Prerogative
Court, the Arch-deacons, Commissaries, Officials, Surrogates,
I know not. And are every one of these become as necessary to
be taken for lawful as the twelve Apostles, or the Articles of our
Creed. For my part I am far from thinking that those Bishops
and Doctors should be Excommunicated or Damned, who by
Faction are drawn to deny the Ministry and Churches that have