copacy doubtleffe were not ignorant of these testimonies alledg'd to draw it in a line from the Apoftles dayes, for furely the Author will not thinke he hath brought us now any new authorities, or confiderations into the world, which the Reformers in other places were not advis'd of, and yet we fee, the interceffion of all these Apoftolick Fathers could not prevaile with them to alter their refolved decree of reducing into Order their ufurping, and over provender'd Epifcopants: and God hath bleft their worke this hunder'd yeares, with a profperous and stedfast, and still happy fucceffe. And this may serve to prove the infufficiency of these present Epifcopall Teftimonies not only in themselves, but in the account of thofe ever that have beene the followers of truth. It will next behoove us to confider the inconvenience we fall into, by using our selves to bee guided by these kind of Testimonies. He that thinks it the part of a well learned man, to have read diligently the ancient stories of the Church, and to be no stranger in the volumes of the Fathers fhall have all judicious men confenting with him; not hereby to controule, and new fangle the Scripture, God forbid, but to marke how corruption, and Apoftacy crept in by degrees, and to gather up, where ever wee find the remaining sparks of Originall truth, wherewith to stop the mouthes of our adverfaries, and to bridle them with their own curb, who willingly paffe by that which is Orthodoxall in them, and ftudioufly cull out that which is commentitious, and beft for their turnes, not weighing the Fathers in the ballance of Scripture, but Scripture in the ballance of the Fathers, if wee therefore making first the Gospell our rule, and Oracle fhall take the good which wee light on in the Fathers, and fet it to oppofe the evill which other men feek from them, in this way of Skirmish

wee shall easily master all superstition, and false doctrine; but if we turne this our difcreet, and wary usage of them into a blind devotion towards them, and whatsoever we find written by them, wee both forfake our owne grounds, and reasons which led us at first to part from Rome, that is to hold to the Scriptures against all antiquity; wee remove our cause into our adversaries owne Court, and take up there those cast principles which will foone cause us to foder up with them againe, in as much as beleeving antiquity for it self in any one point, we bring an ingagement upon our felves of affenting to all that it charges upon us. For suppose we should now neglecting that which is cleare in Scripture, that a Bishop and Prefbyter is all one both in name, and office, and that what was done by Timothy, and Titus executing an extraordinary place, as fellow labourers with the Apoftles, and of a univerfall charge in planting Christianity through divers regions, cannot be drawne into particular, and dayly example, fuppofe that neglecting this cleereneffe of the text, we should by the uncertaine, and corrupted writings of fucceeding times, determine that Bishop and Prefbyter are different, because we dare not deny what Ignatius or rather the Perkin Warbeck of Ignatius fayes, then must we bee constrain'd to take upon our selves a thousand superstitions, and falfities which the Papist will prove us downe in from as good authorities, and as ancient, as these that set a Bishop above a Prefbyter. And the plaine truth is that when any of our men of those that are wedded to antiquity come to difpute with a Papist, and leaving the Scriptures put themselves without appeale to the fentence of Synods, and Councells, ufing in the cause of Sion the hir'd fouldjery of revolted Ifrael, where they give the Romanist one buffe, they receive two counterbuffs. Were it therefore

but in this regard, every true Bishop fhould be afraid to conquer in his caufe by fuch authorities as thefe, which if we admit for the authorities fake, we open a broad paffage for a multitude of Doctrines that have no ground in Scripture, to break in upon us.

Laftly I doe not know, it being undeniable that there are but two Ecclefiafticall Orders, Bishops, and Deacons mention'd in the Gofpell, how it can be leffe then impiety to make a demurre at that, which is there fo perfpicuous, confronting, and parallelling the facred verity of Saint Paul with the offalls, and fweepings of antiquity that met as accidentally and abfurdly, as Epicurus his atoms to patch up a Leucippean Ignatius, enclining rather to make this phantafme an expounder, or indeed a depraver of Saint Paul, then Saint Paul an examiner, and discoverer of this impoftorship, nor caring how flightly they put off the verdit of holy Text unfalv'd, that fayes plainely there bee but two orders, fo they maintaine the reputation of their imaginary Doctor that proclaimes three: certainly if Chrifts Apoftle have fet downe but two, then according to his owne words, though hee himselfe should unfay it, and not onely the Angell of Smyrna, but an Angell from Heaven should beare us downe that there bee three, Saint Paul has doom'd him twife, let him be accur'ft, for Chrift hath pronounc't that no tittle of his word fhall fall to the ground, and if one jot be alterable it is as poffible that all should perish; And this shall bee our righteousnes, our ample warrant, and strong affurance both now, and at the last day never to be afham'd of, against all the heaped names of Angells, and Martyrs, Councells, and Fathers urg'd upon us, if we have given our felves up to be taught by the pure, and living precept of Gods word onely, which without

more additions, nay with a forbidding of them hath within it felfe the promise of eternall life, the end of all our wearifome labours, and all our fuftaining hopes. But if any shall strive to fet up his Ephod, and Teraphim of Antiquity against the brightneffe, and perfection of the Gospell, let him feare left he and his Baal be turn'd into Bofheth. And thus much may suffice to shew that the pretended Epifcopacy cannot be deduc't from the Apoftolicall

TIMES.

The Reason of Church-government urg'd against PRelaty.

IN Two Books.

THE PREFACE.

N the publishing of humane lawes, which for the most part aime not beyond the good of civill fociety, to fet them bare

ly forth to the people without reason or Preface, like a phyficall prefcript, or only with threatnings, as it were a lordly command, in the judgement of Plato was thought to be done neither generously nor wifely. His advice was, seeing that perfuafion certainly is a more winning, and more manlike way to keepe men in obedience then feare, that to fuch lawes as were of principall moment, there should be us'd as an induction, fome well temper'd difcourfe, fhewing how good, how gainfull, how happy it must needs be to live according to honesty and juftice, which being utter'd with thofe native colours and graces of fpeech, as true eloquence the daughter of vertue can beft beftow upon her mothers praises, would fo incite, and in a manner, charme the multitude into the love of that which is really good, as to imbrace it ever after, not of cuftome and awe, which most men do, but of choice and purpose,