TO Him that being satisfied in judg­ment of the lawfulnesse of Episcopall Government, doth yet conceive that the parting with it is no change of Religion, and consequently, that the standing for it at this time, when it is opposed, is but the preferring the interests of some inconsiderable men before the inconveniences and common wishes of all, I earnestly desire (in the bowells of compassion to my bleeding Countrey, and from a sincere passionate wish that the cure of this dangerous wound may not be a palliate imperfect cure) to present some few sad con­siderations, which I shall cast under two heads (proportio­nable to the two parts of the former ungrounded suggesti­on, the one, That parting with the present Government is no change of Religion; the other, That standing for it at this time, is the preferring the interests of some before the common wish of all, the peace of this Nation.

Concerning the former, I offer to consideration, First, whether the Government of the Church be not a considera­ble [Page 2] part of Religion? That it is so, I shall make appeare by these reasons. 1. That Government is as necessary to the preservation of the Church as Preaching the Gospell was to the plantation of it, and that therefore it was alwaies the Apostles practice, assoone as ever they had converted a Ci­ty or Province, or any considerable number of men in it, to leave it in the hands of some faithfull Persons, to dresse, and tend, and water, what they had thus planted; and therefore though it were possible for a Christian to be deprived of this benefit, and yet to remaine Christian (as to want some limbs, or to abound to monstrosity in others, is yet recon­cileable with life and being of a man) to retaine the doctrine of Christianity without any Government, to be a Christian in the Wall or in the Wildernesse, a Stylita or Anachorite Christian, (in which case there is no doubt the use of the ve­ry Sacraments, instituted by Christs himselfe, would not be necessary to Christianity) yet would it be little lesse then fu­ry for any to designe or hope the prosperity or duration of a Church, or visible society of such Christians, without this grand necessary (though not of single being, yet) of mutuall preservation, this principle not of essence but of continuance, without which (it is the learned Breerewoods observation from S. Augustine) that the preservation of a Church was once by experience found to be an impossible thing, no other engine being able to repaire the want or supply the place of that.

A second reason may be drawne from the concurring pleas of all the most distant pretenders for the severall Forms of Government in the Church, as well those that have es­poused the Papall, the Presbyteriall, the Independent, as those which are for the present English Form by the King and his Bishops, &c. all vehemently contending for the necessity of that Government, which they affect in the Church, and none so calme or modest in their claimes, as the asser­tors of the English Prelacy; which moderation or want of heate, is sure one reason that so many sonnes of this Church are now tempted to thinke Government so unconsiderable a thing, and so extrinsecall to Christianity; though this thought thus grounded, be a double injustice, 1. In suspe­cting [Page 3] that truth, for want of asserting, which is therefore not so vehemently asserted, because it is a supposed truth. 2. In encouraging heat and violence of disputers (the great­est plague in a Church) by shewing them that the Eagerest pretenders shall be most heeded, and that meeknesse shall not inherit the earth, though both David and Christ promised it should. A third argument may be had from the judgement of our State, which hath thought fit to make the Governe­ment of the Church matter of one of the Articles of our Re­ligion, and so to joyne in honour the care of it with the care of the Doctrine, and to require as strict a subscription to the establish't Government, as to the rest of the 39. heads of Doctrine, by which you may evidently see, that to change the Government is to change the Doctrine, and where Do­ctrine and Government both are changed, can we possibly think the Religion to be the same? I shall add no more Proofes of this, because I conceive them unnecessary; the con­trary misapprehension being, as I suppose, not grounded by Arguments, but of it owne accord arising from an [...], an experiment, which many men, especially persons of quality, thinke they have made, that in their whole lives they never reaped any benefit from Government, never received anie ac­cession or increase to their spirituall weal from that, as from the Doctrine and Liturgy of the Church, they acknowledge to have done. To this ground of misprision, as being per­haps the [...], the cause of the whole mistake, it will not be amisse to make some answer.

1. That many benefits wee receive from Government, which we do not visibly discerne, and that therefore when wee discerne our selves to have received some growth, and cannot but know that it was wrought by meanes, wee should rather confesse our want of sense or gratitude to the true means, then imagine those not to have been the means, only because we have not that sense of them.

2. That those meanes which have been more visible to us, the dispensation of the Word and Sacraments, have beene reacht out to us by the hand of Government, to which there­fore we owe our acknowledgements in the second place for [Page 4] our preservation and growth, as to the hand of supreme pro­vidence for our being or life spirituall.

3. That if the benefits of Government have not been real­ly verie discernible and notable to all, that is not yet in any justice to be imputed to any defect that way in Governe­ment it selfe, to any barrennes in the nature or particular temper of it, but to some default (which will deserve obser­ving and reforming) in the Persons, either of the Rulers, or of those which are under rule, or of a third sort whose du­ty it is to be the Rulers perspectives and Otacousticks, to pre­sent to their knowledge, the wants of inferiours, which till they are knowne, are not likely to be repayred. The defaults in each of these severals are, or may be, so many, and so ob­vious to common observation, that it will be much more reasonable for each to resolve to amend his part for the fu­ture, and so to make it a businesse of Reformation, then to charge the defaults of persons to the defaming of Govern­ment, and so to undervalue and scorne what our sinnes first, then our phansies have defamed.

The comfort is, that it hath been the clemency as well as the sloth or cowardice of Governours, which have deprived men of the great fruits of Government, and if it may be a­greed that it is very expedient, and will be taken in good part that Governours hereafter be more severe, as well as more diligent, more couragious, as well as more laborious, in using the Weapons of their warfare, to cut off or to cure without any respect of persons wheresoever there is need of them; I shall hope this objection will then be throughly answered, if as yet it be not.

A second consideration apportioned to the former head will be this, whether (supposing Government of the Church to be a considerable part of Religion) the change of it from established Episcopacy to any other (namely to that of Pres­bytery by many without any Superiour over them, or as that is opposite to Episcopacy) be not a sinne against Religion? That it is, or will be so, I shall endeavour to convince the gainsayer by these steps or degrees of proof, which though perhaps not each single, yet all being put together, will, [Page 5] I beleeve, where prejudice doth not hinder, be suffici­ent to doe it.

1. Because this Government by Bishops superiour to Presbyters, is of Apostolicall institution. But this being an affirmation, as demonstrable by Ecclesiasticall Records, as a­ny thing can be, or as the Canon of Scripture which we re­ceive, is demonstrated to be the Canon of Scripture, and in regard it hath by others been sufficiently proved, I shall therefore wholly spare the repeating of that trouble, and adde unto it, 2. That it hath the example, though not the distinct precept of Christ, who with his twelve Apostles, and the many other Disciples in time of his residence upon Earth, superiour one to the other, are the copy, of which the Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons in the following age, were a transcript, who are therfore by S. Ignatius, S. Iohns Contem­porary, allowed to receive honour, the Bishops as Christ, the Presbyters as the Apostles, the Deacons as the Seventy. 3. That as farre as concernes superiority of one order to the other (which is sufficient to eject the Presbytery which supposes an [...], or equality of all) it is authorized by sacred Scripture-practice, where it appeares, that when Judas fell Acts 1. from his orbe of motion, the dignity of being one of the twelve, is by the direction of the Spirit, and by lot bestowed upon Matthias, who, though before a Disciple of Christ, was not till then assumed to that dignity. Fourthly, that supposing it to be in this manner Apostolicall, there is lit­tle colour of reason to doubt, but that the preserving of it is of as great moment as many doctrines of Christianity, not onely because many doctrines were not so explicitely delive­red by Christ, but that they needed farther explicating by the Apostles, (and are therefore by the Church grounded not in any words of the Gospell, but in the Epistles of the Apostles) but also because it was in Gods providence thought fit that Government should be setled not by Christ personally, but by the Apostles, that is mediately by Christ; as doctrine was by Christ immediately. Christ in his life time gives them the ground of a Church, divine truth, the word of his Father, the acknowledgement of which is the rocke on which his [Page 6] Church is built, on this the Apostles are to build, and gather members, and to settle the whole edifice [...], or ordi­nately, and that they may not erre in that worke, the Holy Ghost is promised to descend upon them, and Christ by that power of his to be with them in eminent manner, [...], to the end of the world. And Government being necessarie to this setling was undoubtedly thus referred and left to them by CHRIST, and so their Authority in instituting that which they instituted, as evidently deduced from CHRIST, as their power of Preaching what they preached, or baptizing whom they baptized. And ha­ving gone thus farre, I cannot but resume my considera­tion thus farre made more considerable, and appeale to any sober conscience, whether it be not some irreligion thus to displace or remove that which the Apostles (to whom only by Christ it was intrusted) according to Christs owne Samplar and Scripture-grounds, thought fit to settle in the Church, supposing it to be a matter of Religion which is spoken of, as before we proved; nay, whether if an Angell from Heaven were to be anathematized for teaching any other Doctrine then what one Apostle had taught, it would not be matter of just terrour to any that should have any part in the guilt of instituting any other Government then that which the Apostles had instituted, especially when the acts of Councells tell us, that what S. Paul denounces against the heterodox Angell, the Church did practise against Aerius, anathematized him for impugning this Government, which now we speake of. And if still the Authority of all this be blemisht by this one exception, that this institution of the Apostles is not affirmed in Scripture, or there commanded to posterity to continue, and retain for ever.

To this I answer, by saying that which may be a fourth Argument to prove the irreligiousnesse of such change. That there is as much or more to be said (in both those respects, both for mention of this institution in Scripture, and for Apo­stolicall precept for continuing of it) for this Government, as for some other things whose change would be acknowledged very irreligious. I will onely instance in one, the institution [Page 7] of the Lords day, of which there is nothing can be said to the setting up the Authority and immutability of it, which will not be said of Episcopacy. A ground of it there was in nature, some Time to be set apart to the speciall publique service of God; and the like ground there is in nature for this, that some Persons should be designed to, and rewar­ded for the speciall publique service of God. A patterne of that there was among the Jewes, one day in the seven defi­ned for Gods Quotum or portion; the like patterne there is among the Jewes for this; a Government by High-priests, Priests, and Levites. That was an institution not of Christ in his life time immediately, but of his Apostles, after his departure invested with such power; the like institution there is of this by the same Apostles after Christs ascension, directed and assisted by the holy Ghost. The occasion of pitch­ing on the first day of the weeke was a solemne action of Christ his Resurection on that day; the occasion of this, the severall distinct orders in the Church in Christs time, Christ, Apostles, Disciples, and the manifest superiority of him be­fore all of them (who affirmes himselfe their Lord, even when he speakes of his office ministerialll, his coming to Mi­nister to them) and of the Apostles before the Disciples, as e­ven now was shewed. The mention of that was found once in the Revelation distinctly, [...], the Lords day, and twice or thrice more in equipollent termes, the first day of the week; and the mention of Episcopacy is as cleare, the An­gell of the Church of Ephesus, &c. in the Revelation (which hath beene cleared by irrefragable evidence to belong to this matter) and the Ruling Elder, in S. Paul, that must have double honour, and Titus left in Crete to set in order the things that were wanting, and to ordaine Elders in every Church; and many other more cleare mentions of the severall titles and offices of Bishop, Presbyter, and Deacon, then there is of the name and duties of the Lords day. The obscure men­tions of that in Scripture were explained in the writings and Stories of the first age of the Church, particularly in the E­pistles of Ignatius, and the obscurities of the Sacred text concerning Episcopacy, are as clearely explicated and unfol­ded [Page 8] by the same Ignatius, even in every one of those Epistles of his which Vedelius (as great an enemy of this Order as Ge­neva hath produced any) after his fiery tryall of that Author hath acknowledged to be his. The use of that continued from the Apostles time (though not so universally till the Jewish Sabbath was fairely laid asleep) till these dayes in the universall Church, and all particular Churches, that wee read of; and the like use and practice of this continued uni­versally without any exception from the Apostles time, till this day in the universall Church, as that signifies the Eastern and the Western Church, and in each particular Church till about this last Century, and in this of ours from the planta­tion of the Gospell till this day. These are parallels enough to even the ballance (and I professe to know no one more which might weigh it downe on that side) and to make it now seasonable to-demand, whether it would not bee thought an act contrarie to Religion (whether that signi­fies Christian Piety, or meekenesse, or awe to all that is Sa­cred) for any particular nationall Church, or part thereof, without any more warrant then is now offered for this pre­sent change, to remove the service of God from the Lords day to any other day in the week, (which sure is as small a difference, as that betwixt Presbyteriall and Episcopall go­vernment can by any be conceived to be) or insted of our first day of the weeke to set apart either an eight, or a sixt day, and so to change that Apostolicall institution. If that seem strange, or be startled at, as unfit to be ventured on, or yeelded to, I shall desire the same plea may be entred for this, and that conscience may be secured, that either both are lawfull, or that the difference is cleare, and the advantage on the Lords dayes side, or that it may be resolved that this is unlawfull as well as that.

A fift Argument will be this, That the making (or yeel­ding to) this change, will be a scandall (very worthy to bee considered) in them that so yeeld, toward those which oppose this Government as unlawfull; for this yeelding will be an appearing acknowledgement, that their contrary preten­tions are true, and so a confirming them in their errour, [Page 9] (which is no light one, but the same for which Aërius was and any other opposer would certainely have been anathe­matized, and turned out of the Catholike Church for an He­retick) which is one speciall kind of Scandalizing or oc­casioning the fall of our Brethren, and withall a nourishing them in their uncharitable opinion not only of us, but of the ancient Fathers of the Church, (who were all Antichri­stian if this be so) which is another causing my Brother to offend: nay a kind of countenancing that unchristian (I am sure unprotestant) Doctrine, of the lawfulnesse of taking up Armes, against lawfull Superiours and establisht Lawes, and propagating our opinions in Religion by that means, which perchance some may be betrayed to by this example, others brought to believe consentaneous to Protestant Do­ctrine, if they which are thus guilty be thus gratified; which as it were a change in our Doctrine, if it were really acknow­ledged, so is it, in this respect, another act of Scandall, if it thus appeare to bee acknowledged, and that which would make any Heathen Prince unwilling to embrace our Religion, if this disloyall perswasion were conceived to be a part of it.

A sixt Argument (which to me is of no small force) I will yet but name, and referre it to others to consider of, That no man is a Priest, or lawfully ordained Minister of any Christian Church, but he that is called and sent by God; that there is now no way in this Kingdome, to have that calling or mission duly, but from Bishops, who are the only persons who have the power of Ordaining others, given to them in their assumption to that Order, by those who had it before, and can derive it from the Apostles, who had it immediately from Heaven: and whatsoever other power a Priest, or Presbyter may be thought or said to have common with a Bishop, it is yet the constant judgement of the universall Church, for 1500. yeares, that this of Ordination is not competible to one or more bare Presbyters without a Bishop, and it will be easie to satisfie any reasonable man in whatso­ever may be produced of sound, or probabilitie to the con­trarie: and therefore if any Office, or Order, or Ministry in [Page 10] the Church be considerable, this which is the standing well­head and spring of all the other, must be thought so also.

Having premised these Arguments of so much weight, sufficient to support the burthen designed to them, I shall add, ex abundanti some inferiour ones, though they amount not so farre, as alone of themselves to conclude it direct irreligion, yet to adde to the former heap some aggrava­tions. As,

1. That to yeeld to this change, is to disclaime those blessed meanes of Gods providence which brought us to our Baptisme, to all our spirituall life and growth that we have attained to, and that is a great ingratitude to that Go­vernment.

2. It is an act of pride and insolencie, to prefer any scheme of humane and Modern invention before that which the A­postles, the Primitive, and (for so many years) the Ʋniver­sall Church had authorized, and therefore I could almost ad­venture to believe, that the framers of the Covenant had ob­liged themselves secretly to maintain Episcopacy by putting in those words, [the best Reformed Churches] that I might escape thinking them so insolent as to preferre any Churches before those which they cannot but know have used Episcopacy.

3. It is a great tempting of Gods providence, in not being contented with that Forme which hath prospered so happi­ly with us, and the whole Christian World, (though sub­ject (as all that is humane, or mixt with flesh, is, even the ve­ry grace of God in us) to be abused) and putting it to the adventure, whatsoever inconveniencies the next may bee subject to. Of the inconveniencies that Presbyterie doth in­fallibly bring along with it, and the unreconcileablenesse of them with Monarchicall Government in the State, sufficient evidences have been given; and if there were no other but this, that the indeavouring to bring it in at this time hath brought this tempest and [...] upon this Kingdome, and that this hath beene but the generall consequent of that Government wheresoever it hath but begun to heave, ca­sting out Peace and obedience to lawfull authoritie toge­ther, [Page 11] it would well deserve to have this marke of reproba­tion or non-election set upon it, if it were but for this, that the prosperity of such attempts should not encourage o­thers to the like. This and the like inconveniencies are of such weight, that for men to be willing to exchange the cer­taine benefits of the one, for the uncertaine advantages and strongly-probable calamities of the other, is a sin that may provoke and tempt God to punish them yet further with greater and unexpected curses, and therefore may deserve in its place to be considered.

4. Is is an Act of infidelity and practicall Atheisme (for those especially who being convinced with the former rea­sons to acknowledge any irreligion or sin in such change) to sacrifice any thing to our owne present conveniencies, to make any change in sacred matters, meerly out of intuition of our owne secular advantages; Atheisme, in thinking that God cannot as easily blast that convenience so acquired, as those many which came more directly to our hands; and infidelity, or distrust, in thinking that God will not in his time give us those conveniences and advantages (if they bee such indeed) by meanes perfectly lawfull, which now we co­vet by unlawfull. To which might be added the wants and omissions of those duties of confession of Christ, in not defen­ding and standing to those truths which we are convinced to be such, in time of their being oppugned and persecuted; selfe-denyall, in not depositing our owne carnall secular aimes and interests, and of taking up the Crosse, in not suffe­ring willingly and cheerfully when it lyes in our way to the performing of any act of obedience to Christ. But I would not inlarge to these, but only conclude this proof with a fift difficulty of separating sinne from changes, when they are great, and in matters of weight; It is the wisemans advice that occasioned this observation, My Sonne, feare thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them which are given to changes: The changes are sure changes in Government, and those are named indefinitely, without any restraint, and the verie medling with them that are inclined to such, is op­posed both to Piety and Loyalty, Fearing of God and the King. [Page 12] I have done with the considerations proportioned to the first part of the suggestion. I proceed to the view of the second part of it, and there the consideration shall be only this, whether,

The change of this Government, be not a common interest of all, as well as of those who are now Clergy-men. That it is so, may appeare probable, because the revenue or honours which belong to them in Government are not the sole, or main part of Government; there is a weight and office, which our fore-fathers thought worthy to be encouraged and re­warded with those payments, and if any man shall thinke them ill proportioned, I shall not doubt to tell him S. Chry­sostomes judgement, that the burthen of a Bishop was formida­ble, even to an Angell to undergoe, and if the corruptions of latter times be affirmed to have changed that state of things, I answer, that the restoring Episcopacy to its due burthen as well as reputation, were a care worthy of refor­mers, and it is so farre from my desire that any such care should be spared, that it is now my publike solemne Petiti­on both to God and man, that the power of the keyes, and the exercise of that power, the due use of confirmation, and (praevious to that) examination, and tryall of youth, a strict search into the manners and tempers, and sufficiencies of those that are to be admitted into holy Orders, and to be li­centiate for publique Preachers, the visitation of each parish in each Diocesse, and the exercise of Church-discipline up­on all offenders; together with painfull, mature and so­ber Preaching and Catechizing, studies of all kindes, and parts of Theologicall Learning, Languages, Controversies, Writings of the Schooles and Casuists, &c. be so farre ta­ken into consideration by our Law-makers, and so far con­sidered in the collating of Church-preferments and digni­ties, so much of Duty required of Clergie-men, and so little left arbitrary or at large, that every Church-preferment in this Kingdome may have such a due burthen annexed to it, that no ignorant person should be able, no lazy or luxurious person willing or forward to undergoe it. And if this might be thus designed, I should then resolve, that the direct con­trary [Page 13] to the fore-mentioned suggestions would be truth, that the setling and continuing of this present Govern­men would prove the common interest of all, and onely the burthen of those few that have those painfull offices assign­ed them; and least any may think this word a boast (which I can safely venture with the world at this time, and not have reason to feare a surprisall, or being taken at my word) I shall venture another offer in the name of my brethren of the Clergy; (not that I have took their particular Votes, but that I perswade my self so farre of their Piety.) That ra­ther then the Glory should thus depart from Israel, by the Philistims taking the Arke of the Lord, laying wast this flou­rishing Church of ours, or transforming it into a new guise, every one single of us, that have any possessions or titles worthy any mans envy or rapine, and so are thought now by our own interests to have been bribed or fee'd Advocates in this cause, may forthwith be deprived of all that part of the Revenues of the Church wherein we are legally inve­sted; and he that shall not cheerfully resigne his part in the present prosperity of the Church, on the meere contempla­tion and intuition of the benefit that may now, and after his life redound to others, let him have the guilt of Achans wedge laid on him, and the charge of being disturber of the State. I hope we have learnt to want as well as to abound, and to trust God (that can feed the young Ravens when the old have exposed them) for the feeding of us, and our fami­lies, though all our present meanes of doing it were taken from us, If this may serve turne to satisfie the thirst of those that gape, and the suspicions of those that look unkindly on us, we offer to free you from all blame of Sacriledge, ot op­pression, or injustice (from one of which, no other meanes imaginable can free a change of Government) by our owne voluntary Cession or risignation, as farre as our personall in­terests reach; and shall thinke the peace of this State, and continued prosperity of this Church, a most glorious pur­chase, most cheaply bought, if it may be had upon such terms as these. And if the Function it selfe, with the necessary ad­juncts [Page 14] to it, be not swept away in the calamity, we shall be perfectly pleased whatsoever befall our Persons, and desire, that tryall may be made of the Ingenuity of Clergy-men, whether we have not thus farre profited under Gods rod, as to be willing to yeeld to any possible proposition (which will bring no guilt of sin upon our consciences) toward the a­verting the judgements of Heaven, which are now (I wish I might say for our sinnes onely) most sadly multiplyed upon this Land.