another mistake to suppose that there is no Excommunication but in giving the offender over to Satan That is indeed the highest degree of Excommunication but not all the degrees of it for there is another lesse and inferiour viz. in separating him from Ecclesiasticall Communion And so it is yet another mistake in you to think that in declaring your non-Communion with other Churches ye do not excommunicate them for what is Excommunication but a privation of communion the very word it self teacheth us all this 6. If any such Case should extraordinarily fall out how can it be denyed but that the particular Church offending might be excommunicated by the rest of the Churches offended if the offence should deserve it 1. For we finde nothing in Scripture to the contrary 2. For there is the same reason for the Excommunication of whole Churches as of particular persons viz. the taking away of scandall and the conversion of the sinner 1 Cor. 5.5 2 Cor. 2.7 2 Thes 3.14 1 Tim. 1.20 and that such a contagion infect not others 1 Cor. 5 6 7. And if a particular man may be excommunicated for denying and blaspheming of Christ wherefore shall not a particular Church be excommunicated for the like sin Neither can their number and consociation excuse them but rather aggravateth the sin for the more offenders there be the greater is the offence and the greater should the punishment be 3. If a Church compounded of ten persons may excommunicate four of their own number wherefore also may not ten thousand Churches excommunicate this inconsiderable Church compounded of ten persons for the same reasons that it excommunicateth four persons hath God given more power to ten persons over four then to all the persons and Churches in the Kingdom yea in all the Christian world over these miserable and wretched persons who it may be deny the Trinity the Incarnation of the Son of God and maintain all sort of impieties 4. If God in Heaven and in his Scripture declare a Church excommunicated wherefore shall not his Churches upon Earth also declare it excommunicated when they learn it in his Word Are not the Churches of God as well bound to ratifie his Sentence here upon Earth as he to ratifie theirs in Heaven 5. We have some examples of it in the Old Testament for the people of God say some of our Divines excommunicated Amalck for proof whereof they bring the Targum Cant. 2. Contriverunt Amalek per diram imprecationem They bruised Amalek by the fearfull cursing of the Lord. So did they the Samaritans because of the building of their Temple upon the Mount Garizim They brought as Drusius and after him Weemse relate it 300 Priests 300 Trumpets 300 Books of the Law and 300 Boyes They blew with Trumpets and the Levites singing accursed the Cutthaans in the Name of Totragammaton or Jehova and with curses both the superiour and inferiour house of Judgement and they said Cursed is be who cateth the bread of the Cutthaean These Curses they wrote upon Tables and sealed them and sent them thorow all Israel who multiplied also this great Anathema upon them from whence proceeded a great hatred betwixt them as we reade in the Gospel If in vertue of a small offence one Church may pronounce that dreadfull Sentence of non-Communion against many Churches wherefore may not many Churches pronounce Sentence of great Excommunication against one small Church for a great sin since crescentibus delictis crescunt poenae Besides all this I deny the consequence for howbeit God had not ordained Excommunication viz. the greater which here ye understand yet might there be some other remedy found by the light of Nature But ye adde p. 18. That your Sentence of non-Communication will be as effectuall as the greater Excommunication This cannot be 1. Because if the offender have any grace the greater will terrifie him more 2. Because in your way the Sentence may seem unjust in punishing all offences and Offenders greater and smaller with the like Spirituall penalties 3. Your way cannot so well awe Churches and keep them in their duties for since ye attribute no authoritative power or authority to all the Churches of Christ over any particular Church but judge them all to be equall amongst themselves and one to all as if a part were equall to its totall and pars esset aequalis Toti Totum non esset majus quilibet suâ parte as if the part were equall to its whole and the whole were no greater then its part viz. a whole mans body then his toe a particular Church may think her self no ways bound to obey any other Church or Churches and much lesse will ten Churches think themselves bound to obey one for Obediecce is a vertue in Inferiours towards their Superiours But if all Churches be equall there can neither be Superiours nor Inferiours and consequently no obedience or disobedience 4. If a particular Church in your way desire to be obeyed by fourty Churches pretending her self to be offended by their proceedings they may think her bold in calling them to an account and that the spirits of Prophets should be subject to Prophets one rather to twenty or two thousand then twenty or two thousand to one 5. In our way a Church offending may esteem her offence greater and fear it more since she may judge her self to offend two Authorities 1. that of God and 2. that which he hath given unto the Church but in yours she cannot think her offence so great since she conceives her self to offend one authority or authoritative Power onely viz. that of God for ye acknowledge no authoritative power in the Church or Churches and so your way breedeth a plain contempt of all Church Authority 6. In denying an authoritative power the offender may think you too busie bodies in intermedling your selves with other folks matters which concerns you not so much whereas if ye granted an authoritative power unto her it should be her own proper businesse in vertue of her authoritative power received from God So also our way is more efficacious in the Churches offended 1. in breeding a greater detestation of sin 2. in making them to shun and avoyd more the company of the offender 3. in making them to conceive the Sentence to be more just c. Item if this your way be as efficacious ye need no other power in your particular Congregations over particular persons a simple admonition without any authoritative power may suffice you Ye yet say That your way is more brotherly in proceeding without an Authoritative power Answ God in the Old Testament ordained an Authoritative power in the Church and yet they were all Brethren and he knew well enough what power was convenient for Brethren 2. So likewise in particular Congregations we are all Brethren neither yet will ye banish out of them all Authority 3. 2 Kin 6.21 1 Cor 14 15 2 Cor. 6 13. and 12.14 Gal 4 19. 1 Thes
Ecclesiasticall or Politicall Assembly of the Christian World wherein things are carried by plurality of voices it be ordinary for any inconsiderable number thereof to joyn in a particular combination among themselves and therein to take particular resolutions to publish them unto the world and so to anticipate upon the resolutions of the whole Assembly II. Whether in taking such resolutions they should not consequently resolve themselves to quit the Assembly and to appear as Parties And if any man or men should do so either in this Parliament or this Assembly if a connivence at such a matter should not be reputed for an act of great favour love and extraordinary tender affection towards them III. Whether such an inconsiderable member in so doing may not be refused by the parties as incompetent Judges IIII. Whether this Apologeticall Narration was necessary when ye found the calumnies mistakes misapprehensions of your opinions and mists that had gathered about you or were rather cast upon your persons in your absence begin by your presence again and the blessing of God upon you to scatter and vanish without speaking a word for your selves or cause And if the honour the Parliament shewed you in calling you to be Members of the Assembly was not sufficient enough to justifie your persons from all sort of aspersions and calumnies without any Apology Whether after the dissipation of such Clouds and such a justification this Apology was rather necessary then before when ye were under the cloud and not justified V. Whether this your Apologeticall Narration wherein ye blame all Protestant Churshes as not having the power of godlinesse and the profession thereof with difference from carnall and formall Christians advanced and held forth among them as among you be seasonable when the Church of God and this Kingdom stand in need of their Brotherly Assistance and particularly of that of the Scots against whom it is commonly thought to be particularly intended who at this very time so unseasonable according to their duty hazard their Lives and Estates for Gods Church all this Kingdom and you also VI. Whether as it is observed by sundry men of learning and as ye have noted your selves ye should not have done better to have sit down your opinions by way of Theses and so manifested unto us wherein ye agree or disagree with us or from us the Brownists Anabaptists and these whom ye pretend to hold the same Tenets with you in old and new England and the Netherlands then in a Rhetoricall and Oratorius way endeavour in the most part of your Book to publish your great Sufferings and extraordinary Piety and so to move us all to compassion and ravish us into admiration as if ye meant rather to perswade then to prove them VII Many also are very desirous to know whether this Apologeticall Narration published by you five alone be published in the name of you five alone or of all those also or apart of those whom ye pretend to hold your Tenets to the end we may know in what esteem to have it And if in the name of you five onely the Penners and Contrivers thereof Whether ye five can arrogate a power unto your selves to maintain these Tenets as the constant opinion of all your Churches having no generall Confession of their Faith thereabout If in the name of all the rest we desire ye would shew your Commission from all your Churches by what authoritie ye do it Or if ye do it without Commission and Authoritie from them if that be not to assume unto your selves a greater Authoritative power then that ye call Presbyteriall yea then ever was the Episcopall VIII It were also not amisse ye should declare Whether ye desire a Toleration for you five alone in your Religion or for all the rest Item If a Toleration in publike in erecting of Churches apart or to live quietly without troubling of the State as for the last appearingly ye may have it unsought but for the rest the Parliament is wise enough and knoweth what is convenient for the Church of God and the State IX And because your whole draught of this Book tends evermore unto a Toleration and consequently unto some Separation I would willingly know of you What things are to be tolerated or not tolerated in Religion not in private persons but in Conseciations And particularly when the whole Kingdom is joyned in one Religion What sort of new Consociations of divers Religions it may in good conscience tolerate and receive into it Item Vpon what ground Churches may in good conscience make Separation from other Churches that desire Vnion and Communion with them Whether they that aym at a Toleration and Separation be not rather bound to tolerate some small pretended defects not approved by those from whom they desire to separate themselves and especially when they that are so desirous of Separation are not pressed to be Actors in any thing against their conscience then to separate themselves from a Church that testifies a great desire to reforme the defects pretended to be in it Whether it were not better for them that aym at Toleration and Separation to stay in the Church and to joyn all their endeavours with their Brethren to reforme abuses then by Separation to let the Church of God perish in abuses Whether they do not better that stay in the Church to reforme it when it may be reformed then who quit it for fear to be deformed in it ANNOTATIONS Upon the INSCRIPTION Of this BOOK An Apologeticall Narration ALL Apologies presuppose some Accusation which here appears none or if it be intended as an Apologeticall answer to what hath been written against your Opinions it comes very short weak and slender and no way satisfactory to their Arguments Neither is it a meer Apologeticall Narration but also a grievous Accusation against all our Churches as destitute of the power of godlinesse c. So it is a mistake in the very Title of the Book which is either untrue or inadoequate to the subject whereof it treateth Humbly submitted So humbly submitted to the honourable Houses of Parliament as if they submit not themselves to your desires in granting you a Toleration for any thing I can see ye seem no wayes minded to submit your selves to theirs It seems also very probable That being Divines ye should rather first have consulted with the Assembly of Divines your Brethren then so ex abrupto gone to the Civill Magistrate that arrogates not to himself any directive power in matters of Religion This should have testified more Brotherly and Christian Charitie then here it does of politicall humilitie And it is more convenient to the spirit and power of godlinesse that the spirit of Prophets in such matters should be subject unto Prophets then unto the spirit of the Civill Magistrate who for this effect hath convocate an Assembly of Prophets and would not undertake it himself So this is a submission That this most just
of disorder I omit here many other Reasons taken 1. From the Efficient cause of Toleration as they who can permit or Tolerate Shismes Whether mortalâ— men have received any power of God either jure divino or naturally to dispence with Gods Ordinances and to permit that which he forbiddeth 2. From the object of it viz. If it be good or ill for such as the object is such must the Toleration or permission be 3. From the Forme viz. If it be consonant unto Scripture or not For if it be not it must be ill since Scripture must be the rule of all acts of Christian duties 4. From the End for if the End be ill it is ill yea howsoever it be good yet is it not good to permit ill for a good end as the Apostle teacheth us for howsoever God may do it yet cannot we do it For he who did draw light out of darknesse can draw good out of sin yea more good out of sin then is the ill that it containeth in it self So cannot we 5. From the Obligation that lieth upon us to do all the good we can and consequently not onely to forbear sin our selves but also to hinder others from sin since it striketh at Gods honour which we are bound to maintain against all men 6. From the Obligation that lieth upon us not to be partakers in other mens sins in approving or not hindering them in so far forth as lieth in us For the power of hindering sin is not given us for nothing but for its End which is its Act viz. To hinder it actually 7. From the Obstatles For God hath dealt so mercifully with the tate here that there is no Force greater then it self to compell it to permit or tolerate many Sects Shismes or Heresies So that the fewer the Obstacles be found the greater will the sin of a Toleration be found But we fear to be to long upon this point Your sixth Grievance Our silence was interpreted that we were either ashamed of our Opinions or able to say little for them Answ If any man hath uttered any such expressions out of malice or contempt of your Persons they are to be blamed If out of zeal to the Trueth and of the good Opinion they have of you I beleeve ye will not blame them for all good men esteem you to be very godly men and no men of learning know you but they know you to be very learned men as some of your Books testifie aboundantly But if little can be said to the purpose for that cause which ye main tain what marvell is it That ye can say little for it Neither can honest men doubt but an ill man can and will say more for it then all ye sive can say so soon as ye have considered it more profoundly And the better men ye be the lesse ye will have to say Ye are not so able to maintain an ill cause as an ill man Your seventh Grievance Books have been written say ye again to prepossesse against what are presupposed our Tenets Answ Not what are your five Teners but of those who have written upon that Subject If yours be different from theirs so soon as ye shall cleerly declare them they may receive an answer And therefore it was nor to prepossesse them c. But to keep them in possession of the truth already received Afterwards ye give Reasons of your silence 1. Because say ye it is the second blow that makes the quarrell c. Answ 1. We are assured that ye have given the first second and third blow as it may easily appear by your Books and Sermons here at London as we have already answered For the Books of the Divines that wrote against your Opinions were onely Answers unto Arguments of those of your Partie So then ye have made the quarrell 2. This Reason as it hindered you in the beginning so should it at this present Your second Reason is Your conscientious apprebension of the danger of rending the godly Protestant Party Answ Wherefore then did it not hinder you from Printing of this Apologeticall Narration as we said before Your third Reason is The conjurements of many Honourable Wise and godly Personages of both the Houses of Parliament Answ If their Conjurements have so long been so effectuall with you how have they been now of late so inefficacious that they could not hinder the Printing of this Book How augment ye now this unhappy difference 4. Reason The Declarations of the Parliament about the Vnion of Protestants against Popery their respect to tender Consciences as might prevent oppressions which had formerly been 5. Your Covenant 6. And your duely respect to a peaceable Reformation To these three I answer as unto the third 7. The hopefull expectation of an happy latitude and agreement Answ The agreement may be happy if ye will and so ye may obtain what ye might hopefully expect 1. For I hope ye shall be freed from all oppressions like to those ye formerly suffered under 2. That ye may possesse your Consciences in place 3. That ye shall not be compelled to any externall Confession contrary to your present Tenets 4. Much lesse to be Actors in any thing against your Conscience And thus farre your hopefull expectation might have been well grounded But if ye expected a Toleration for all Sects or that we should have received your Opinions ye hoped more then ye had ground for Now whereas in the two last lines ye submit this Declaration of your judgement to the due and orderly agitation of this Assembly whereof say ye both Houses were pleased to make us Members The Reader will do well to consider how cautiously ye speak here 1. Ye submit this Declaration of your judgement not to the judgement of the Assembly as if the Spirit of Prophets should be subject unto Prophets But onely to the Agitation of the Assembly and so ye seem no wayes minded to submit your selves unto the Assemblies judgement as all the rest of the Members thereof and of this Church too 2. Neither submit ye it simply to the Agitation but to the due and orderly Agitation of this Assembly as if before ye had observed some undue or unorderly Agitation of businesse in it or feared it hereafter Truely this undue restriction might very well have been omitted for it is holden for a certain and undoubted Maxime amongst all Protestants That the Church has no absolute power in her Judgements That she cannot obliege us to do any ill And that we are not bound to obey her unjust Ordinances and Commands But that it is better to obey God then men This Submission is very feriall and worthy to be presented to some idle fellows Ye will permit the Assembly from Morning till Evening to agitate and dispute your Opinions as if they had no other thing to do neither here or at home A great submission indeed of your judgements which ye cannot refuse to the ordinariest Mechanick
said he may teach in every Church because he may Preach in them being invited thereunto but he cannot Teach in them all alwayes in every particular way by way of a Particular and Ordinary Mission and Admission as their Particular Pastour For neither is he called to Teach in them all neither can he rule them all conjunctim in one time but one onely Ordinarily and two or three Extraordinarily in case of some urgent necessitie 3. Yea we may say That a Particular Minister cannot evermore neither doth he evermore feed his own Particular Church totam totaliter the whole Church wholly as Experience teacheth us but sometimes he feedeth it one way sometimes another sometimes in teaching sometimes in ruling c. 4. It may be said That the consociated or combined Presbyteries and Presbyters rule all the Churches from which they have Commission 1. In qualitie of Particular Ministers as we have already declared 2. In a Particular way in vertue of their Commission from Particular Churches in whose name they appear and in vertue of their Admission in a Classicall or Synodall Assembly but not in sensu diviso every one apart for if they dissent in their voices from the major part of the Assembly they feed no Church at all at least actually and in actu exercito howsoever they may be said to rule them all that be subject to that Assembly potentia in actu signato 5. The whole collective or combined Presbyterie or Eldership being-taken collectively or as combined ruleth many Particular Churches that are subject unto it I say being taken as combined or collectivè for if the Presbyters of the Assembly be taken distributivè they are not an Assembly not a Collection or Combination of Presbyters formally but severall Presbyters apart and divers unities which are the matter of this combination and consociation in the Assembly 6. Those whole combined Presbyteries qua tota sed non qua tataliter considerata as whole or totals but not considered totally feed in any Particular Churches The first part is certain for they judge of Points of Doctrine and Discipline already revealed in Holy Scripture and give us new Ecclesiasticall Laws of things indifferent and so Teach and Rule the Churches which is nothing else but to Feed them 7. Yet these combined Presbyteries being considered totally viz. according to every respect every part every modification and determination they can have rule them not for every one of the Combined Presbyteries have not this Power For as we have said 2.3 4. or 5 c. may dissent from the major part and in that case they rule not in the Assembly muchlesse rule they out of the Assembly being considered as Materiall parts thereof and the reason is because Non quic quid convenit Toti per accidens aggregato confuso vel ordinato id convenit singulu partibus it is not needfull that whatsoever belongeth or is attributed to the collective body should be attributed to every part thereof so ten is twice five which cannot be said of five which is a part of ten for it is not twice but once five 8. Neither can these combined Presbyteries or Elderships taken materially 1. i.e. before their combination feed many Churches as when they are combined for in that sense they are not formally a combination or a collective body but the matter thereof and therefore to them cannot belong that which belongeth unto the collective body formally or in vertue of its forme 9. The collective or combined body of divers Presbyteries feeds not many reall Particular Churches in actu exercito as if they exercised actually the act of feeding them in a particular way as their Particular and Ordinarie Ministers do but in actu signato in signifying and representing unto them all in vertue of their Commissions by their Judgements and Laws what should be done by them all which these Particular Ministers do in actu exercito and in a more speciall way And the reason of this is because if it were not so we should confound the charge of combined Presbyteries with that of one Presbyter 10. This Proposition may yet receive this sence All the combined Presbyteries feed all the particular Churches that they represent 1. All the Presbyters together feed and rule all Churches together as combined 2. In this combination or collection of Presbyters or Elders every one of the Presbyters or Elders feedeth his own Church 3. All the collective body of combined Elders feed every Church apart as we said before 4. Every Presbyter or Elder in this combination ruleth all Churches as we have declared it also 1 Eth. ad Nicomach c. 1. So the Philosophers in expounding that Maxime Bonum est quod omnia appetunt that is good which all things desire give us almost the like interpretations viz. 1. All good things taken collectively are those that all desirers taken collectively do desire 2. That every one in this collection of desirers desireth his own good in the collection of all good as a man mans good a horse that which is good for a horse c. 3. That the whole collection of desirers desireth every good as it serveth for every part and so for the totall or whole that consisteth of the parts 4. That every desirer apart desireth or loveth the whole collection of good insomuch as in that collection of good it findeth its own good But none of these senses approved by us can serve our Bethren More might here have been said and I hope that others God willing shall say more But this may suffice for one Annotation and I am assured will sufficiently dissolve all their Arguments hitherto founded upon this Proposition About the end of this 15 § Ye say That this challenge of all spirituall power from Christ had need have a cleer pattent from Christ and that noted by a Particular Parenthesis as very considerable so had your Independent and Omnipotent power within your Particular Congregations Neither do our Synods challenge all power but a Ministeriall Power such as we have already expounded Neither needs it any Pattent expresly and formally from Christ It sufficeth that it have one from Nature for that sufficeth to binde us all unto obedience for Christ as Mediator and head of the Church is not represented unto us in Scripture as Author of Nature but of Grace For the Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ who is Mediator of a better Covenant Neither came he to abrogate or destroy but to fulfill and to accomplish the Law The Author of grace poseth not but presupposeth the Law of Nature And yet we can shew a Pattent for it not onely from the Law of Nature which should suffice but also from the Law of Grace in the Old and New Testament Immediately after ye say That nothing was written upon this Subject before the Books set forth by two Divines of Scotland one of England and others of Holland
Here ye mistake for we can produce you sundry others of good note here Printed at London we are sorry ye have not seen them or disdained to read them If there were not many written before those it was in pittie of your afflictions whereunto good Divines would not adde new affliction Neither thought they your Partie so considerable Neither were your Opinions much known or published abroad being onely written in English and not in Latine except by one or two of your Divines for any thing I know Neither thought they that ye were so averse from their Discipline as ye appear in this Assembly but that ye suffered only for not conforming your selves unto Episcopall Government But whatever they have written I know not what this can serve to the purpose unlesse it be to declare That whatsoever helps ye had heretofore yet ye were destitute of those writings whereby ye might have received farther light concerning Presbyteriall Government and I pray God ye make good use of them In the 16. § at the end of the 16. Pag. Ye travell to remove an Objection viz. That in Congregationall Government such as is amongst you there is no allowed sufficient remedy for miscarriages though never so grosse no relief for wrongfull Sentences or Persons injured thereby no room for Complaints No Powerfull or Effectuall means to reduce a Church or Churches that fall into Heresie or Schisme c. To avoid this Objection ye relate us an History § 17. and what ye did upon such an emergent case But ye shew us no Law that ever ye had amongst you whereby ye might bring any remedie against such a miscarriage before that it fell out 2. Neither read we of any such Law or remedie in your Books before this 3. Your Divines and the Members of your Churches with whom we conversed shewed no remedie amongst you for such inconveniencies 4. They gave us no answer unto this Objection save onely this That God hath ordained no remedies in such Cases Yea that if Churches should fall away from Christ and with the Jews call him an Impostor and the Trinitie with Servet a three headed Cat and deny the Incarnation of the Son of God they should be tolerated Yea more That the Civill Magistrate should punish no man for his Religion be it never so bad or blasphemous and that it must be left to God And this giveth us reason to think That these Reasons within these two yeers have made you to refine your Opinion and to mould some new Solutions and to suite your Opinions more close to the current of the time then you were wont to do If therefore we speak after them it is their fault and not ours it may be that your Opinion be not common to you all but to you five alone The sum of the History is A Minister was suddenly deposed by his Flock whereupon some Churches did take offence and all their Churches consented in this Principle That Churches 1 Cor. 10.32 1 Tim. 5.22 as well as particular men are bound to give no offence neither to Jew nor Gentile nor the Churches of God they live among Item That in vertue of the same or like Law of not partaking in other mens sins the Churches offended may and ought upon the Impenitency of those Churches persisting in their errour and miscarriage to pronounce that heavy sentence against them of withdrawing and renouncing all Christian Communion with them untill they do repent And further to declare and protest this with the causes thereof to all Christian Churches of Christ that they may do the like In this Narration it appeareth 1. That this Church offending before this emergent Case knew not so much for if she had it is not credible that she would against all charitie and the common order of all Churches have committed so great a scandall 2. This remedie is not sufficient nor satisfactory 1. Because all Churches according to your Tenets be equall in Authoritie Independent one of another and par in parcm non habet Imperium none hath power or Authoritie over his equall how then could any Church binde another to any such account but out of its freewill as a partie may do to its partie 3. Because since other Churches were or pretended to be offended in such a proceeding they could not judge in it for then they should have been both judge and partie in one cause which cannot be granted to those that have no Authoritative Power one over another as when a private man offendeth the State and we our God 4. What if many Churches yea all the Churches should offend one should that one Church gather all the rest together judge them all and in case of not submitting themselves to her judgement separate her self from them all If so we should have Separations and Schismes enough which should be continued to all Posteritie to come 5. What if Churches were so remote one from another that they could not easily meet together upon every occasion Then there should be no remedy or at least no easie remedy 6. What if the Offence were small should so many Churches for every trifle gather together and put themselves to so great cost and trouble 7. What if the Churches in their Judgements should differ one from another in such a case should they all by Schismes separate themselves one from another 8. This sort of Government giveth no more Power or Authoritie to a thousand Churches over one then to a Tincker yea to the Hangman over a thousand for he may desire them all out of charitie to give an account of their Judgement in case he be offended by them Neither see I what more our Brethren grant to all the Churches of the World over one But the Presbyteriall Government is subject to none of these inconveniencies for the collective or combined Eldership having an authoritative Power all men and Churches thereof are bound by Law and Covenant to submit themselves thereunto Every man knoweth their set times of meeting wherein sundry matters are dispatched and all things carried by pluralitie of voices without any Schisme or Separation 9. This Government is a Power wherein the Partie is judged if he will and so the judgement of the Judges suspended upon the judgement of the Partie judged which is most ridiculous without any example in Ecclesiasticall or Civill Judicatories a judgement indeed not very unlike to that which is related of a merry man who said he had the best and most obedient wife of the whole World because saith he she willeth nothing but what I will and as all men wondred at it knowing her to be the most disobedient yea saith he but I must first will what she willeth else she willeth nothing that I will 10. This sort of Government is unjust and unreasonable for not onely the Partie judgeth its Partie but also it inflicteth the same punishment viz. Separation upon all offending Churches what ever be the offence great or small