The case of the Church of England, briefly and truly stated in the three first and fundamental principles of a Christian Church : I. The obligation of Christianity by divine right, II. The jurisdiction of the Church by divine right, III. The institution of episcopal superiority by divine right / by S.P.

A Scheme of the general CONTENTS.

PART I.

• THree popular Principles destructive of the Church of England Page 1.
• The absurdity of Mr. Hobb's Principle, that the Sovereign Power is the only founder of all Religion in every Com∣monwealth p. 7
• Mr. Seldens account of the Jurisdiction of the Church to be meerly Civil p. 27
• His account of Excommunication from Adam to Moses considered p. 37
• The same from Moses to the Captivity, and from the Captivity to the time of our Saviour p. 42
• The same in our Saviours time, and, first, as to its Usage p. 54
• Secondly, as to the Right, which is proved to have been neither Judicial nor Imperial, but purely Divine p. 62
• ...

• Excommunication in the Christian Church proved to have been of Apostolical Anti∣quity p. 71
• The Texts of Scripture upon which it is grounded, carry in them true and pro∣per Jurisdiction, and appropriate its exercise to the Church p. 76
• And that by Divine Institution, not meer voluntary Confederacy p. 89
• All Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction left entirely by the Christian Emperours to the Eccle∣siastical State, and that the Imperial Laws, extant both in the Theodosian Code and Justinian, are no new Laws, but only the Canons of the Church, ra∣tified with temporal Penalties p. 91

PART II.

• AN account of the birth of the Opini∣on, that there was no Form of Go∣vernment setled in the Christian Church by Divine Institution Page 117
• That our Saviour founded his Church in an imparity of Ecclesiastical Officers de∣monstrated; this imparity proved to consist in a superiority of Power as well as Order, and the Institution of it shewn to be of perpetual obligation p. 124
• The Authority of the Apostolical Practice vindicated against divers exceptions. The vanity and absurdity of the Objection from the ambiguity of the names, Bishop and Presbyter. The divine Obligation of Apostolical practice in this matter proved p. 135
• The practice of the Primitive Church in the Ages next and immediately after the Apostles. The pretence of the defect of the Records of the Church in the first Age falls as foul upon Christianity it self as the Form of Government p. 143
• ...

• The Argument, first, from the defect as to places considered and confuted p. 148
• Secondly, front the defect as to Times and Persons p. 150
• The constant Tradition of the Church proved, first, by the Testimony of St. Cle∣ment of Rome. Secondly, of Ignatius; his Epistles demonstrated to be ge∣nuine p. 155
• The same proved from the Apostolical Ca∣nons, and the Canons proved to be of Primitive Antiquity p. 177
• The Testimonies of the Ancients vindi∣cated from the pretence of ambiguity; and first, in that they have not informed us whether the Succession were only of Order, or of Power p. 183
• Secondly, In that it is not universal; but whether it be or not, it is sufficient, in that there are no Records against it, and the Records of all the chiefest Churches are clear for it p. 189
• Thirdly, In that this Succession is sometimes attributed to Presbyters; this shewn to be apparently false, and if it were true, frivolous p. 203
• That the ancient Church owned Episcopacy as of Divine Institution, and not Ec∣clesiastical p. 213
• ...

• St. Jeroms Authority throughly conside∣red, and turned upon himself, so as to make this Objection out of him against it the strongest Argument to prove the Divine Institution of Episcopacy p. 216
• The Custom of the Church of Alexandria of the Ordination of their Bishop by Presbyters refuted, and the Story of Eutychius concerning it shewn to be false and foolish p. 231
• If we take away the Divine Right of some Form of Church-Government, it una∣voidably resolves the Church into Inde∣pendency and Confusion p. 243
• The Government of the Church by Episco∣pacy as setled by Divine Right the only effectal Bulwork against Popery p. 252
• A Postscript p. 263