but must have beene delivered up unto the Enemie and have beene made a prey for the Spoylers and then what peace or safetie would Citie or Countrie have injoyed In a word what had become of Citie and Countrie if that Army under his command and so gallantly incouraged by him had not incountered the enemies of our peace and through Gods mercie victoriously discomfited their Forces severall times as at Newbury and at other places Truly it is by all that will not manifest to the whole world that they are ungratefull to God and unthankefull to men ever to bee acknowledged that the Earle of Essex the Earle of War wicke with those gallant Commanders and Citizens in that Armie and Navie commanded by them deserve the first place of honour to be our preservers some of whose names I shall by and by set downe though I can never sufficiently set forth their praises and their merits and to these many other worthy Generals must bee added with all those gallant Officers and Commanders under them who commanded severall Armies Regiments and Companies by Commissions from the Earle of Essex as the Right Honourable thrice Illustrious Faithfull Valiant and for ever to be highly honoured Lord. Edward Earle of Manchester The Earle of Denby The Earle of Stanford The Earle of Peterborrow Generall of the Ordnance at Keinton The Lord Robert Lord Martiall of the field The Lord Fairfax and his son Sir Thomas Fairfax his Excellencie now Captaine Generall of the Forces raysed by the Parliament The Lord Gray The Lord Willoughby Sir William Waller Major Generall Sir Arthur Haslerig Sir William Brereton Sir William Balfour Generall of the Horse Sir John Merrick Generall of the Ordnance Sir Philip Stapleton Lievetenant Generall of the Ordnance Sir Samuel Luke Colonell Governour of Newport-Pannell Sir Robert Pye Collonel Sir Edward Dods-worth Knight Commissary Generall for the Musters of the Cavallary with the Earle of Essex Lord Generall His Excellencie Sir Iohn Gell. Sir Edward Peatoe Lievtenant Generall of the Ordnance at Keinton Sir Iohn Meldrum Collonel Major Generall Skippon Collonel Massie Collonel Hollesse Collonel William Davis Collonel Iames Sheefeild Collonel Thomas Shefeild Collonel Richard Graves Collonel Dolbier Collonel Brown Collonel Essex slaine at Keinton Collonel Morgan Collonel More Collonel Rossiter Collonel King Collonel Poyns Collonel Terrell Collonel Dodson Collonel Goodwin Major Hercules Langerish All these and many hundreds more whose names are unknown to mee none of the which were then Independents yet whose fame for their noble chivalry and gallantry in all their imployments will live when Mortality is dead and truly for every one of these I have by name set downe they are all of them men accomplished for all heroicall vertue and such as of whom severally for their most excellent service and severall engagements even in difficultest times I could make a large Discourse and yet that would not sufficiently set forth their due prayses for these first Actors under-went the heate of the day and by their valour quelled the Enemy as I have heard the Cavaliers themselves acknowledge and therefore all those noble Heroes and gallant Commanders as I said before have all of them primary right to that title Isay 58. 12. to be called the Repairers of the breach the restorers of our pathes to dwell in for as much as when we were in great fears and unavoydable ruin did seem to threaten both Church and State then God moved all their hearts to appear in his cause and made them the preservative of City and Country Whose undertakings performances faithfulnesse valour and Noble prowesse ought to be predicated and recorded that future generations may know their deliverers and admire Gods goodnesse who gave them magnanimous spirits to appear and expose themselves to danger for the Kingdomes safety in such a time when the people were generally secure ignorant of the miseries that were like to befall them and their posterity and so deluded with promises and protestations that the greater part in most Counties withstood their own good the peace and welfare of Church and State And when the men in England lived delicately and had been so long dandled in the lap of peace that very few none in comparison had ever seen the formidable face of a reall fighting Army nor had ever beheld the furious countenance of bloody war whilst she encountreth with her enemies but were unacquainted and altogether unexperienced with warlike affaires and marshall discipline yea when City and Country were in great distractions and eminent danger and when all things both by sea and land were to be accomplished for the preservation thereof with all manner of disadvantages and the greatest hazzard and difficulty that men could possibly meet withall and therefore I say again all these brave men have the primary right to be called the repairers of the breaches the restorers of our pathes to dwell in And next unto these illustrious ones I pray good Brother looke upon the famous Citie of London and on all the true hearted citizens in it who stood close to the Parliament in the most dangerous times and first rescued their Members questioned and preserved them all from the jawes of imminent danger and after that exposed themselves their lives fortunes and liberties in their quarrell and stucke close to their cause supplying them continually with Men Monies and Ammunition and all manner of warlicke accoutrements without whish the whole Kingdome had beene miserable Yea in their owne persons in the Citie and in the Field they hazarded all their lives in the Parliaments and their countries service so as they also may justly challenge a share in the next place to those noble Worthies above mentioned to be counted the Repairers of our breaches and Restorers of our paths to dwell in and therefore I shall desire you Brother and all those of your Fraternity to give the next place of honour to this Renowned Citie And whiles I am now speaking of such as have deserved well and merited the name under God of being preservers of our pathes to dwell in I pray let us not forget out brethren the Scots whose faithfull service deserves eternall gratitude and an everlasting memory who also stood in the breaches when we were but in a low condition who for our assistance exposed their own lives fortunes and countries to the fury and rage of many a potent enemy and indured incredible hardship at home and abroad undergoing many miseries and that at such a season of the year as was enough to have killed them to lie in the field and made their Country a prey for the spoilers who used barbarous and mercilesse cruelties upon them many of their brave and gallant commanders and gentlemen also dayly loosing their lives and wallowing in their own blood and all for our preservations and therefore they may under God duly challenge the third place of honour to be reputed the Repairers of our breaches and Restorers of our pathes to dwell in whose kindnesse
also the word is capable of this construction as may be proved if need required so that the conclusion doth follow And truly that of Saint Paul in the first of the Galatians is an excellent Argument to evince that there were more Congregations in Ierusalem then one where proving that hee had not received the Gospel which hee preached from men but from God hee useth this reason That if hee had received it from men it must bee from the Iewes and from the Apostles for the Gentiles were ignorant of it and hee was to carry the Gospel unto them and therefore they could not teach it him and to prove that hee received it not from the Apostles hee thus speaketh of himselfe When it pleased God to reveale his Sonne unto mee that I might preach him amongst the Heathen I immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood neither went I up to Ierusalem to them that were Apostles before me but I went into Arabia Then after three yeares I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and aboade with him fifteene dayes but other of the Apostles saw I none save James the Lords Brother Out of the which words besides the singular testimony wee have that the preaching and writings of Saint Paul are the Gospell of Iesus Christ and the Word of the living God against the Papists we may evidently gather against the Independents that after the persecution there were more believers in Ierusalem then either did or could all meet in one place for in saying that he was with Peter fifteen dayes but in all that time saw none of the Apostles save Iames this I say is a sufficient Argument to prove more Congregations and assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem which so imployed the Apostles in their severall Ministeries asthey had not so much spare time to visit Paul and that Paul also was so taken up in preaching there that he had no leisure to visit them And for the diligence of the Apostles in their Ministry it is said in the sixth of the Acts That they gave themselves continually to prayer and to the Ministery of the Word and therefore they were never idle and that the Apostles either all or the most of them continued resident for many years in Ierusalem before they distributed themselves into severall Nations and Countries and that very few of them were sent abroad there are frequent testimonies in the Acts of the Apostles neither as yet did I ever hear it scrupled or call'd in question whether the Apostles were then there or no when Paul was at Ierusalem for it is taken pro confesso that either all or the most of them were at that time in Ierusalem neither doth Saint Paul say I saw none of the other Apostles because they were absent or were gone to Preach the Gospell in other places And for Saint Paul we reade that wheresoever he came he went into their Synagogues and into their Assemblies to Preach and that he preacht from house to house and he that gave so strict a charge to Timothy and in him to all Ministers that he should Preach in season and out of season he himselfe without all doubt would not neglect his duty who in the 20. of the Acts sets his owne example before all the Presbyters for their imitation in their diligent preaching and he ordinarily preached by the day and by the night as is manifest out of the same Chapter and many other places and surely the time he remained with Peter in Ierusalem he was as diligent in Preaching as he was in any of the other Churches and he professeth of himself that the care of all the Churches lay upon him that he laboured more then all the other Apostles in their particulars so that it standeth with all reason that while he was in Ierusalem he was very sedulous in Preaching as who had both strength of body and Gods speciall assistance and his immediate inspiration alwayes to help him in his Ministery so that I conceive as of charity I am bound that Paul was daily in one assembly or other now if there had been at that time no more beleevers in Ierusalem then could have met in one place congregation and Assembly then of necessity Paul must have seen the other Apostles there as well as Peter and Iames for they also were good Church-men to speake a little in the Prelats dialect and they never left the Word but were alwayes taken up either in praying or preaching amongst them in the Temple and from house to house yea in every house and if there had been but one Congregation or Assembly of beleevers in Ierusalem the Apostles would daily upon all occasion have been with their flock Now in that Paul saw them not in all that time he was in Ierusalem it is evidently apparent there were more Congregations of beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem then one and more Christians then could all meet in any one or a few places But to proceed to a place or two more for the further confirmation of this truth Acts 12. verse 24. It is said there that the word of God grew and multiplped Here also we have another good effect of a new sierce persecution in Ierusalem it increased the number and multitude of Believers there after the Persecutor was taken away For the Word of God grew and multiplyed saith the Holy Ghost Out of which words I thus argue Where the Word of God daily more and more grew and multiplyed after the persecution that is to say where there were more multitudes and greater numbers of Believers added unto the Church through the Ministery and preaching of the Gospell then was before which notwithstanding was then so numerous as they could not all meete in any one place or roome to enjoy all the Ordinances to edification there of necessity they must be distributed into diverse assemblies and congregations to enjoy all the Ordinances to edification But in the Church of Ierusalem after a double persecution the Word of God daily more and more grew and mnltiplyed that is to say there were more multitudes and greater numbers of Believers added unto the Church through the ministery and preaching of the Gospell by the Apostles then was before which notwithstanding was then so numerous as they could not all possibly meet in any one place and roome Ergo there was a greater number of Beleevers after the Persecution then before and therefore of necessity they could not all meete in any one place or roome to communicate in all the Ordinances but must be distributed into severall Congregations and Assemblies if they would all be edified For the Major I conceive it is so evidently clear as no man of ordinary understanding will not see the truth of it For the Minor the Text proveth it and if we will compare Scripture with Scripture the truth of it will by and by be out of controversie for in the 15. of Iohn verse 16. Our Saviour
seriously and without partiality weigh all things And for the evincing of that I will begin with Abraham the Father of all the faithfull who saith Gen. 18. ver 27. Behold now I have taken upon me to speake unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Here we see Abraham had no high thoughâ—s of himselfe nor of his own righteousnesse which example of his was left to all his children in succeeding ages to teach them to esteeme meanly of themselves and not pharisaically to boast of their owne holinesse Jacob likewise in 32. of Genesis ver 9 10. speaking unto the Lord saith O God of my Father Abraham and God of my Father Isaac c. I am not worthy of any the least of the mercyes and of the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant c. Here likewise we see what a low esteem he had of himselfe The same we finde in Ezra the 9. ver 6. who in the name of all the people said O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasse or guiltinesse is grown up to the heavens c. And so in the ninth of Nehemiah ver 1. c. The children of Israel were assembled with fasting and with sackclothes and with earth upon them they were all in a posture of humility as the whole Chapter declareth Job also that righteous and upright man in the 42. chapter ver 6. saith Wherefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes He had no bigg thoughts of himselfe and his own holinesse The same we see in Isaiah that great and holy Prophet who in the 64. chapter ver 6. in the name of all the people of God in his age he saith But we are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesses as filthy raggs and we all do â—ade as a leafe and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away c. They had no proud conceipts of their own righteousnesse nor vaunted not of their holinesse and sanctity Neither was Daniel in any other posture though a man greatly beloved of the Lord chapter 10. ver 11. Yet he in the 9. chapter in the name of all the people humbly prostrated himself Seeking unto the Lord by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes Saying O Lord the great and dreadfull God c. We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled ver 3 4 5 c. And so we might run through all the Old Testament and finde all the Prophets and holy men of God ever confessing their own vilenesse and never boasting of their own righteousness The Publican also and the Prodigall had learned this lesson the one of which said Luke 15. ver 19. I am not worthy to be called thy sonne the other standing afar of Luke 18. ver 13. would not so much as lift up his eyes unto Heaven but smote upon his brest saying God be mercyfull unto me a sinner All the faithful and truly holy people and godly party both under the Old and New Covenant had learned this lesson of self-denyall and Paul acknowledged himselfe the greatest of all sinners crying out of himselfe Rom. 7 O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death They had no overtowring conceipts or thoughts of their own holinesse and righteousnesse nor never boasted themselves that they were the onely holy people and the generation of the Just That was the practice of the Justiciaries yea of the hypocrites and wicked under the Law and of the Pharisees in the time of Christ as we may see in Isaiah 65. ver 5. who said Stand by thy self come not neer to me for I am holier then thou c. The Pharisee also stood and prayed thus with himself God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice a week and I give tythes of all that I possesse c. By which it may evidently appear that those that boast themselves of their own righteousnesse and holinesse treade not in the steps of father Abraham and all the truly holy Prophets and people of God in all ages but in this their so doing they deviate from â—heir example and imitate the example of the wicked Pharisees and old Justiciaries and therefore are justly to be blamed and found fault with as transgressors against both the precept of God and example of Christ who said Learn of me for I am humble and meek Mat. 11. against the President of all the faithful w ch is the second part of my Minor which is to prove That God did ever condemn such as justified themselves and boasted of their own righteousnesse as is manifest from that place in Isaiah above quoted in the 65. chap. ver 5. where the Lord saith that such as gloryed they were more holy then others were as smoke in his nose and fire that burneth all the day And in the 16 of Luke ver 15. He said unto the Pharisees Ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knowes your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God And in the 18. of Luke the place above cited ver 9. He in a Parable reproved certain which trusted in themselves as being righteous and despised others And told them plainly ver 14. That the Publican that meanly esteemed of himselfe went down to his house justified rather then the other For every one saith Christ that exalteth himselfe shall be abased and he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Yea it is the command of Christ Matth. 16 to all such as will be his Disciples ver 24. That they should deny themselves and take up their Crosse dayly and follow him Now self-denyall and boasting of their own holinesse cannot stand together for Saint Peter in his first Epistle chap. 5. commands all Christians to be subject one to another and to be clothed with humâ—lity saying That God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble Humble your selves therefore saith he under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time The same lesson doth Saint James teach us chap. 4. v. 6. And if we look through the whole Scriptures we shal find That God looketh unto those onely that are of a poor and contrite spirit and that tremble at his word Isaiah 66. ver 2. The same also the Lord saith Isaiah the 57. v. 15. Thus saith the Lord the high and holy One that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is holy I will dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones David had learned this lesson also who in the 51. P salme saith A broken and a contrite heart O Lord thou wilt
lies to this day upon all Ministers and people and all those Priests knew very well that this duty lay also upon them and that by a speciall command from God long before given them who had said that the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and that the people should seek the law will and good pleasure of God from their mouth Now then if all Christians and all the Servants of the Lord in all ages studied to teach their friends and families the knowledge and fear of the Lord as we see in Abraham and Jacob and Joshua and all the Patriarks and they had a speciall command also to do it as we see Deut. the sixt and Deut. the eleventh and when it was the practise of all people truly converted to do the same as I said before and we see it likewise in the woman of Samaria how quickly she brought her neighbours and fellow citizens unto Christ after shee was converted then I say we ought to think yea we ought much more to beleeve that these Priests being thus wonderfully converted spent their strength and might now to gain Disciples unto Christ and that by how much the more they had been his enemies and persecutors And the people without all controversie would be the readier by far to give heed unto what they taught them because they knew that they were learned and in that they had a command from God himself to seek the law of God from their mouths who said that the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and wisdome Yea Christ himselfe sent the lepers at any time when he had cured them to the Preists and the Scriptures sufficiently declare that the Priests were in great esteem among all the people and that they did mightily prevaile with them so that they could perswade them to do any thing they would have them Now when the people saw that their Priests in great companies were converted without doubt they still followed their Pastors and waited upon their Ministry and the law of love binds us to beleeve that abundance of the people also were dayly converted and added to the Church by their Ministry and Preaching and this ordinary reason and dayly experience will perswade every man to beleeve for we see here amongst us what mischiefe a few whibling and unlearned fellows that were Ministers have done in seducing of the people after they revolted from the truth upon whom they still depend and what distractions among all sorts of men and women a few unstable and unconstant Presbyters hourly make when for base ends they fall from their principles and turne Independent Praedicants and Itinerany Preachers we see I say that they have in a very short time with the leaven of their doctrine with their sottish wicked and groundlesse opinions sowred the whole lump of the sweet truth of the Gospell and seduced many thousands both of men and women if their gloriation be true Now if a few illiterate seducers in these our dayes have misled and perverted such multitudes with their novelties and that without any miracles without all controversie that great company of Priests that were converted preaching then unto all the people the truth of God and the glorious Gospell of glad tydings and not their own fantasies and the people seeing it also dayly confirmed unto them with such stupendious miracles they prevailed greatly to the converting of thousands for the example of such men as the Priests were wrought very much upon the people yea we see how it has been in all ages when great and rich men whether Magistrates Ministers or people imbrace any new opinion what way they go the common people ordinarily follow whether it be truth or error rather following example then precept as we may see it When Moses was but gone up into the Mount and that Aaron had built them a calf they all began to dance about it and when Jeroboam set up his calfâ—s ten tribes revolted with him yea it is said Hee caused all Israel to sinne And we may observe it daily amongst us if these grolls seduce but any giddy-headed Gentlewoman that is rich or but any inferior Lady and make them but turne Independents what a noise there is by by through the Kingdom of it and how staggering other poor unstable women begin to be But if any great Noble man or Courtier or Parliament man or some of our temporizing Presbyterian Ministers but turn Independents or is but rumor'd to favour that way we see what revolt amongst unsetled and ungrounded people their examples make in many places Whereas the truely godly such as are well grounded know that the stars shall fall from heaven and that they usually chang themselvs into Angels of light and seem to be the Ministers of righteousnee that they may the better seduce yet I say such as fear God and are rightly instructed are not moved but they abhor the evill of their wayes and cleave the faster to the truth and are of such discerning spirits as they can well perceive that it is for base ends and worldly respects that many have turned Independents and it is well known and can be proved That the Independents have perswaded many if they would prosper in the world that they should turn to their party for that was as they said the thriving way And it is taken notice of also that very few but Independents are either greatly countenanced or preferred or at any time rewarded for any service they have done their Country Now every generous spirit especially a constant well grounded Christian detests and abominates all such base dealings and such base fellows as will be of any religion for earthly fading momentary and uncertain things and therefore stand more stoutly to the truth and their ancient principles yet such as have a mind speedily to get into the chayre of preferment or to be in any Office or to grow rich they turn Independents and I am most confident that whereas the Independents brag that many of the Lords are Independents they notoriously belye them but this I dare presume that if Sir I. S. can from his great and rich Independent friends procure a yearly and certain pention to be confirmed upon my lord Tapps that upon that condition he would turn independent and so then they should be sure to have one lord of their party and then also Sir I. S. might haply attain unto the honour to be my lord Tapps his Chaplain which he is very fit for and might also reside in Cambridge where he may so indoctrinate his plumbeous cerebrocities as he may speedily be able to divisinate a snayle pye or a mushrome into two particles But to be serious if a few obscure Presbyters here amongst us that were never really guilty either of learning or honesty revolting once from the truth through covetousnesse and other base ends have notwithstanding with their fayned holinesse and under pretence of their long prayers devoured so many widowes houses
of all things See what Saint James saith in his fifth chapter to all churches and christians in the world Is any man sicke saith hee let him send for the Presbyters of the churches and let them pray over him c. and the prayer of faith shall save the sicke and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him The Apostle Iames here sends all christians to the Presbyters of every church who had the power of the Keyes delegated unto them for spirituall comfort and whose office onely it was to pronounce pardon and remission of sinnes unto the sicke upon their true Repentance if they had offended and sinned against God in the time of their health and so scandalized the Gospel and the Church and it was the Presbyters place and office to admit them againe into the fellowship and communion of the Saints upon their coâ—diall and untained repentance and that without asking the church any leave for as the Presbyters onely had the power of casting out offenders out of the Church so they onely had the authority of receiving them in againe upon their repentance and not the Church so if wee looke into all those Epistles that were written unto the seven Churches of Asia in the 2. and 3. of the Revelations we shall find them all directed to the Angels of the seven Churches which is as much as to say to the presidents of every severall Presbytrie established and constituted in every one of those Churches which is a sufficient Argument to me to prove a Counsell or Colledge of godly Ministers in every one of those cities according to that of Paul to Titus chap. 1. verse 5. for this cause left I thee in Creet that thou shouldest ordaine Presbyters in every Citie not one but many And in the 14. of the Acts verse 23. and when they had ordained them Presbyters in every Church c. many Presbyters a Colledge of them was appointed to every Church and so in the 20. of the Acts there were many Presbyters who had the charge and government of that Church committed unto them in common ver 28. there was a Colledge of them constituted in that church and therefore for order sake which the light of nature teacheth they must have a President who by the way of excellencie and to distinguish him from the other is called an Angel as the inscription of the Epistle Rev. 12. 1. declares saying Vnto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus As in our dialect when we speake of the great counsell of the Kingdome or of the reverend assembly of Divines if there be occasion of distinguishing the Presidents of those councels from the other Judges in those assemblies wee say Master Speaker in the house of Lords or Commons or of the President of the Ministers we say Master Prolocutor and if any have occasion to write to either houses or to the Assembly they direct their letters to the Speakers or to the Prolocutor who communicates them to each Assemblies as being the Presidents of each Society and yet none of all these Presidents by that their place of honour and eminency have any more power or authority then the rest but onely in the casting voyce when the parties upon any occasion are for number equall and for appoynting of the times and places of meeting and for the methodicall and orderly carriage of the busines yea it is ever observed wheresoever there is a President there is a colledge or councell or a court nature dictates this and the custome of all nations proves it and withall by the same light of reason that counsell or colledge to whom God himselfe writes and directs his letters for redressing of abuses has the power in their hands for the rectifying of things amisse and that it peculiarly belongeth unto them as to the Magistrates invested with authority to order things according to direction and to punish and cast out offenders and that by their own power without the consent and approbation of the people as it is now in the great Councell and Parliament of the Kingdome who make not the people acquainted with what they have to do but so far as it pleaseth themselves and not out of any duty And so it was in the government of Gods Church by the first constitution every Church consisting of many congregations were governed by a colledge of Presbyters as that of Ierusalem and this of Ephesus and the other six Churches in all the which the Presbyters by their sole authority governed them according to Gods Word without taking the people into councell with them who were no where joyned in commission with them and therefore it is most apparent by those examples I have now produced and many more that might be added and from the commission that Christ gave to the Apostles and in them to all Ministers that the people had not their voices either for the admitting of any to be Members in any church or in the casting out of any for their delinquency much lesse have they authority to require a publike confession of their faith to be made unto the congregation or to exact of them to bring in the evidences of their true conversion or to require that they should walk with them some time before admission or to enter into a solemn private Covenant before they be admitted as Members for we have no president for any of these things in Gods Word much lesse any command only in Acts the sixt there is mention made that the Apostles for the freeing of themselves from all unnecessary incombrances and that they might the better attend upon their Ministery and preaching gave the people liberty to make choice of their own Deacons but still keeping the power of ordaining them in their own hand which always was arbitrary in them whether they would exercise it or no neither would the Apostles have ordained them unlesse those that were to be ordained had been men so qualified as they had appointed for otherwise it lay in their choyce whether they would ordain them or no. But that ever the congregation or people had the power of admitting of members or of ordaining of Officers it is no where extant in Gods Word But that the women should have a voice in the Church either for receiving in or casting out of members or officers or should have any thing to do with Peters Keys it is against the law of God and nature For Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinths 14. makes it one of the marks of confusion in any Church where women have their voices saying God is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all the churches of the Saints and in the next verse following in expresse words saith Let your women keep silence in the churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law and if they will learn any thing