CHAP. IX.

IN order therefore to invite all able,* Orthodox and honest Ministers to some Christian correspondency and fra∣ternall accord, it will not be amisse for me to present both to your equanimous wisdome, (O worthy Gentle∣men) and to your piety, what I humbly conceive the best Medium to be used in so great and good a work, which must be tenderly and impartially carried on by a serious discovery and dis∣cerning, First, what is really good, usefull, and commendable in any party, that this may be allowed and preserved, agreed to and em∣braced by all; Secondly, what either is or seems defective or superflu∣ous, evill or inconvenient, scandalous or dangerous on any side, that this may be either pared off and removed, since it may be well spared, or else in reason and Religion, in piety and charity, so qua∣lified and moderated, as may comply with what is truely good and usefull for the publick on all sides.

First then to begin with Episcopacy, not as it enjoyes or loseth the benefits of secular favour in estate, honour, or jurisdiction, (which are not essentiall to it, any more than cloths are to the man) but as it appeares in its Apostolick primacy of Order, in its Catholick centre of Unity, in its chief power for Ordination and Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction; which it ever enjoyed among good Christians, though it were never so poore and abased by civill powers, as it was in Pri∣mitive times of persecution for 300. yeares.

The reall good of true Episcopacy (which undoubtedly hath the clearest,* best and most ancient title to ordination & Church-Govern∣ment, according to the custome and prescription of all Ages for 1500. years) is Decency, Order, Unity, Authority, Stability, Pa∣ternall Presidency, Grave Government, with subordination of younger to the elder, and inferiours to superiours, agreeable to the rules of right reason, and the measures of the best polities, military, civill and religious. Here are the aptest remedies and conservatives against Schismes, the fittest mediums for Catholick Councils, for correspondencies, conventions and Communion of Churches, not in popular rabbles and heady multitudes, but in their chief Presidents and representatives. In this is best kept up, as an Uniformity of par∣ticular Churches, so a Catholick Conformity to the Church universall, when Primitive, purest and most persecuted, which without any peradventure did follow the Apostolick prescription and pattern in all things of so universall use and reception.

Upon the head of Episcopacy, as upon the hill of Hermon, hath the dew of heaven, the blessings of God, as in temporall enjoyments, so in all spirituall gifts and graces, most plentifully faln, and from that to all the lower valleys and inferiour parts of the Church. To this it is that all the most learned, moderate and wise men in all the Christi∣an world, of what ever party or side they are in other things, whe∣ther Page  448 Latine or Greek, Lutheran or Calvinian, Protestant or Papist, all agree in this, that Episcopacy is the ancientest and aptest, the wi∣sest and noblest, the onely Apostolick and Catholick, consequently the best and compleatest of Governments in the Church; contain∣ing in its right constitution and use all the pretended excellencies of all other Governments, and something more than any of them, as the crown and perfection of all.

The evills, defects and dangers incident to Episcopacy, (and rising not from the function or imployment, but from the persons of Bishops,) are pride, ambition, secular height and idle pomp, a su∣percilious despiciency, and Lordly tyrannizing over other Ministers, and the flocks of Christ under their inspection; arrogating a power to do all things imperiously, arbitrarily and alone, without any due regard either to that charitable satisfaction which was anciently given to Christian people, or to that fraternall counsell and con∣currence, which might and ought in reason to be had from learned and grave Presbyters, or such Consistoryes of choise Ministers, who possibly may for wisdome, piety and ability, be equall to the Bishop, however they are inferiour in order and authority.

As the complete good of presidentiall and paternall Episcopacy de∣serves above all other formes to be esteemed, desired and used in the Church; so it may easily and happily be enjoyed, if the personall faults and failings of Bishops be prevented and avoided, which is no hard matter where Bishops are chosen (as anciently they were) by the suffrages of the Presbyters or Ministers of the Diocese either personally present, or, to avoid noise and tumult incident to many, by their proxyes and representees chosen and sent from their se∣verall distributions. The Bishop thus chosen is easily kept within bounds of moderation, if he do nothing of publick concerne validly and conclusively without the presence, counsell and concurrence of his appointed Presbyters; being further responsible for any mis∣government, to such conventions of the Clergy as are meet to be his judges, and are by the Laws appointed so to be. Certainly these limits, supports and ornaments of Episcopacy, would easily restore it to and keep it in the compasse of its Primitive beauty, ho∣nor, and usefulnesse to the Church.

*The good of Presbytery (especially in conjunction with Episco∣pacy) is grave and impartiall counsell, serious discussion and well-advised deliberation, arising from many learned and Godly men, which is as the joynt and concurrent assistance of all the Clergy; whose publick suffrages may carry all things Ecclesiastick as with lesse partiality, so with more authority, most satisfactorily to Mini∣sters and people too, yea and with lesse odium or envy upon any one man as Bishop or President, in cases that seem lesse popular, or in censures that are more heavy.

Beyond all this some men cry up Presbytery in its Aristocratick influence, as the great Choak-peare of Antichrist; as the best receipt in the world to make the Pope burst in pieces, like the pitch and Page  449 haire which Daniel mixed to split Bel and Dagon: This, this they say is the strongest sense against all tyranny, usurpation and ambi∣tion in Church-men, the great conservative not of an absolute pa∣rity, but of those ancient priviledges which are due to all Ministers; also of those liberties and indulgences which are the peoples dar∣ling, while they see all Church-matters managed not by private and partiall monopolies, but by publick and generall complacencies of all sober and good men, at least the major part of them.

The evils of Presbytery in a parity or equality are, emulation, faction, division among Ministers; the younger sort naturally muti∣nying against the elder, and the graver sort thinking themselves more wise & worthy than the younger. Hence grudgs and coldnesses, cavils and contradictions, sidings and divisions; Hence adherings to severall heads and patrons of factions, in different opinions or practises. Then follow popular adherencies, and such declamatory endeavours as may most draw people to severall Masters: all which are sufficiently evidently the experiences of Franckfort of old, of Roterdam in later years, also of new and old England; besides the intolerable petulancies and troubles by Masterly Presbyters in Scotland for many yeares in King James his minority, and King Charles his too. All these have loudly proclaimed that malapertnesse, rudenesse, insolency, effrontery, factions, confusions, are the genuine fruites of an un-sub-Presbytery, as indeed of all Government which is made up with parity or equality, which is rather a lump or masse of flesh, like monstrous and abortive births, than any comely polity or symmetry befitting an organized body, which must have some prime part for the honor, order and regulation of the whole, which must needs be loose, diffused and confused, if it be not cemented, centred and fixed (yea ruled and awed) with some eminent part and principall power, which having virtue from the whole, gives also life, vigor, firmation and Majesty, as to the whole body, so to the Government and polity, what ever it be, civill or Ecclesiastick; being as the Hoopes or Curbes of vessels, which keep all the pipe-staves together.

The want of which authoritative order, decorum and majesty in Government, is prone to give such temptations to young and hot-headed Ministers, (besides giddy and surly people, moving them to ambitious novelties, to popular and preposterous practises) that men of parts cannot easily resist them. Besides, the generality of people, either of meaner or better quality (especially in England) will ne∣ver have such reverence to petty Presbyters in a levelled parity, as they will have when they see Ministers united, guided, honored and animated by a person of that Gravity, Age, Worth and Emi∣nency, that not onely the best Ministers own him as a Father, but the best Gentlemen, yea Noblemen, will reverence him as a man of excellent Learning, Piety and Wisdome; whose censure or sentence no man of modesty or conscience can despise, when they are managed with so much reason and Religion, with such order and Page  450 honor, with such gravity and integrity, as become such Bishops and such Presbyters, happily united in a comely subordination.

*The good that Independency pretends to hold forth to the peo∣ple of God, or Christs little flock, in its severall parts and lesser par∣cels, is a more neer union and endeared love of each other, a closer care and watching over each others souls, more frequent and fami∣liar intercourses between Pastor and people, exercising of their own, exciting and discovering of their brethrens gifts and sisters graces, neerer Communion with each other, after the fashion of bodies, though small, yet so complete and confined to themselves, that they are neither subject nor responsible to any but their own chosen members, officers and pastor; whose Tribunitian, not impera∣torian, power is immediately founded (as they say) in the very plebs or herd of people, as derived immediately from Christ, and so com∣pletely endued with all Church-Power or spirituall authority, that they are to Try, Elect, Ordain, Censure, Rebuke, Depose, Ex∣communicate and give over to Satan any part of their body. They further professe an Art or Receipt they have above all others to keep all ordinances of Christ most entire and pure from all humane mixtures and inventions, most set off and adorned with that Sim∣plicity, Sincerity, Fervency, Charity and Sanctity which be∣comes the Gospel; all which are most eminently manifested in the precincts of their little bodies, their Independent or Congregatio∣nall Churches, farre beyond what ever either Episcopacy or Pres∣bytery, severally or socially, could attain unto. These are the glo∣ryings of Independency.

The evils laid to the charge of Independency are, first, novelty and inconformity to all pious antiquity. A way untaught, untryed, un∣thought of by any Christians that owned themselves as parts of the Church Catholick, and related to its grand community or sa∣cred society. It meanly and miserably confines the Majesty of Ec∣clesiasticall power, and shrinks its authority; it drawes the Churches polity and communion to so very narrow and small a compasse, that Independency seemes to act rather by distorted and convulsive mo∣tions, than by that equable harmony of parts which attends all or∣derly bodies in their concurrent motions. Farther, it exposeth par∣ticular Churches or congregations, together with the honor and safety of Religion and all Christian States, to petty parties and fractions, to popular, nay plebeian humors: It abaseth the honor of the Evangelicall Ministry, weakning the power, and diminishing the dignity of all Christian societies, mincing and destroying those ancient Grand and Goodly combinations, which were Apostolicall and Primitive, in the respective Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, the 7. Churches of Asia, and many others, cutting them into small chips and shreds. It placeth the sole and absolute power of the keyes, for Doctrine and Discipline, there where no wise man, much lesse the wise Redeemer of his Church, would place them, even among the vulgar, where are seldome found any fit subjects capable to under∣stand, Page  451 much lesse to manage and use them. That such are the common sort and major part of all people, no wise man is ignorant: though they may be plainly and simply good, yet seldome are they so prudent, so knowing, so composed, or of such credit and reputa∣tion, as is fit for any Government either in Church or State to be committed to them, as the grand Masters and absolute Dictators; which they seem to be in the Independent modell, which either hath so many heads that it hath no feet, or so many feet that it hath no head.

Furthermore, Independency seems like the flats and shallowes of ponds and rivers, the proper beds for all Faction and Schisme to spawne upon; the seminary that breeds, and noursery that feeds all the vermine of Religion; while every silly soul, that can but get two or three to conspire with his folly, and flatter his new fancy, may without feare or wit make a Minister, begin a party, and beget a Church, built and distinguished by some new character of opinion or practise, as its badg or sign-post.

Besides this, Independency is indicted by many sober men as a fe∣lon or plagiary, a sacrilegious robber of other Churches, one that steales away Children from their Spirituall fathers, sheep from their flocks and shepherds, seducing servants from their Masters, and children from their parents, true Religion, worship and devotion, yea from all Christian Communion with them; entising them first to straggle, then to separate, then to starve rather than returne to the good pasture and fold whence they have once wandered.

Lastly, as it affects an equall and yet enormous power in every part of the whole body; so it exerciseth this authority with such confusion and passion, with so much Childishnesse and petulancy, that there is lit∣tle or nothing of due subordination, feare, reverence and submission, as to any Divine Authority, as of Conscience of or for Christs sake; but every one takes offence when he listeth, growes froward and in∣solent, divides, and so destroyes (as much as in him lyes, and at as easie a rate as one doth crush a worme) those petty bodies and puny Churches, which are indeed but Infants, Embryo's and Pygmies, com∣pared to that stature and strength, that procerity and puissance, which of old was preserved, and ever ought to be in the Church of Christ, when it hath its peace and growth; not shred into poor patches and pittifull parcels, but united, maintained and managed in conspicuous combinations, in ample and august proportions; in which may well be contained many thousands of Christian peo∣ple, some hundreds of worthy Presbyters and Deacons, under some one or more venerable Bishops, in so holy, so happy, and so hand∣some a subordination or dependency as was of old, that whatever was done by the Authority of those that ruled, or the Humility of those that obeyed, all was done with Charity and Unanimity, while excellent Bishops knew how to keep the true temper of Christian Government, and both Presbyters and people concurred with them in filial obedience and fraternall love.