To the lavv, and to the testimonie: or, A proposall of certain cases of conscience by way of quære; chiefly touching the publick worship of the New Testament; and other things either necessary or profitable for Christianity; presented to those churches and societies of Christians, which professe the Scripture of the Old and New Testament for the only rule of faith and manners. Wherein the true and genuine way to reconcile Christians is laid open / translated out of Latine into English by a lover of truth and peace.

Article 1.

IN the first place we are to hold, that God hath built the Chri∣stian Church on no other foun∣dation but Iesus Christ, who by the price of his bloud hath purchased her to himself for a peculiar possession, as being her Lord, Husband, and Lawgiver: and therefore that all right and authority of lawfull and due Ecclesiastick Admi∣nistration ought to be derived from Him alone; and consequently that the meanes and manner of that Administration neither can nor ought to

be any other, then such as argue Christ to be their Author: so that if in the right, authority, meanes, or manner of the Administration, both heretofore, and at this day used, there occurre a∣ny thing, of which it is certain that it was never instituted, commanded, or well-pleasingly per∣mitted by Christ, or at least whereof it may just∣ly be doubted, that very thing neither, can nor ought to be made use of to the lawfull and due administration of the Church.