that either the Temporall or the Ecclesiasticall Magistrate must be in all Cases absolutely predominant and that since the Ecclesiasticall ought not by Christs owne command therefore the Temporall ought as hath been further proved by sundry arguments and Scripture proofes alledged out of this famous Politician So much of the temporall power and its necessary Supremacie my endevour shall be now to maintain that no Ecclesiasticall power is at all necessary in meere Ecclesiasticall persons Master Calvin according to the popish grounds maintains that spirituall jurisdiction differs from temporall and is not incompatible but assistant thereto because it proposes not the same ends but severall which by severall meanes may be the better compassed But the spirituall Magistrate as I conceive can propose no other end then what the Secular ought to ayme at for either the Prince ought to have no care at all of the Honour of God and the good of men and that which is the prime meane of both true Religion or else his ends must bee the same which the Prelate aymes at viz. to vindicate Religion by removing and correcting scandalous offenders Secondly to preserve the innocent from contagion by the separation of open offenders Thirdly to prevent further obduration or to procure the amendment of such as have transgressed by wholsome chastisement This is beyond all controversie as also that the person and power of a Prince are as sacred to effect these ends as the Prelates and certainly God did not so sanctifie their persons and offices for any lesse end And therefore in ancient times Holy Bishops did preach and recommend nothing more to Princes then the care of Religion though proud Prelates now arrogate this onely to themselves and though it be still apparant that no offence is so spirituall but that it is a civill evill as well as a blemish to Religion forsomuch as true Religion is the foundation of a State And this could not bee neither were Princes answerable to God for the corruption of Religion if God had not given them a supreme power and that effectuall to bring all offenders whatsoever to confession satisfaction and contrition or to expell them the congregation by themselves or their surrogates Master Calvin instances in adultery and drunkennesse c. and sayes That the temporall power punishes these by externall force and for publicke examples sake as it concernes the State but the Spirituall Iudge punishes them without force internally for the amendment of the delinquent Hee might as well have named swearing lying stealing murdering and all sinnes whatsoever and so have made all men twice punishable and the Ecclesiasticall Courts as full of businesse as the Temporall to the great vexation of the State and danger of division out of this false ground onely that Temporall power hath not a competence for the amendment of offenders or for the care of Religion but only for the satisfaction of wronged parties and the expedition of Civill Justice This is a way to erect regnum in regno and to maintaine such concurrent jurisdictions as cannot possibly stand together for all being subject to sin and offence as well the Spirituall as temporal either the one or other must go unquestioned and this may produce division or else both and that will cause most certaine confusion Both sides here seem strangely puzled the rigidest of the Episcopall faction allow Princes a coercive power over Priests and Prelats where they performe not what their duty is in their functions or jurisdictions and this power requires a higher power of summoning arraigning and legally trying them and yet the moderatest of the Presbyteriall faction would have Princes questionable tryable and punishable by the Spiritualty This is a grosse confusion which will appeare to be so more plainly in the sequel when it is more fully cleared that to Princes alone God has precisely committed utramque tubam and utramque tabulam too as our reverend Andrews says 'T is true as Calvin alleadges Princes are sons of the Church they are in it not above it the word intending the Church universall such as is both militant and triumphant past present and future for that hath no other head but Christ to that all Princes and Priests are equally sons but take Church for such or such a Nationall Locall Church and then the Prince is head thereof under Christ and the Clergy are part of his charge and under his protection The same man also may in diverse respects be both father and son to the same man without confusion of relations A King a Bishop may heare the Word and receive the Sacrament from an inferiour Minister a Subject may be naturall father to his Prince and in this respect a filiall subjection is due from the Superiour and so a King may referre his own case to his Chancellor yet this destroyes not the greater higher and more generall superiority in other things at other times And to me it seemes that even in the exercise of the Keys the Priest officiates under the Prince as the Chancellour does in matters of Law even when the Kings own case lyes in Iudgement before him and when perhaps hee makes a decree against his own Master and contrary to his owne Masters private advertisement and yet the King is not properly either Lawyer or Theologue though both are actuated and organized as it were by the soule like commanding over-seeing and over-ruling of his more sublime and divine power Herein the Priest also may learne a limitation from the Lawyer for though the Iudge bee bound to pronounce right Iudgement against his owne Master yet this holds not in all cases alike because of his limitted condition for in Criminall cases such as concerne the safety of the Kings own person or the Royall dignity of his calling therein Iudgement must be utterly mute And therefore it is a weake argument of Master Calvin though it be his best when he inferres a necessity of an Ecclesiasticall Iudicature from hence because else the Prince himselfe wanting punishment should escape free for the reason is the same in matters of Law the King is not questionable or responsible for personall crimes and yet this is held no politicall mischiefe Besides if the Prince shall not go unquestioned or undisciplined by the Spirituall yet the supreme Spirituall Magistrate must and this is an equall if not a greater mischiefe for both cannot be equally lyable to the judgement of each other Neither is it to much purpose that the example of Bishop Ambrose so harshly so unreverendly treating pious penitent Theodosius is so confidently cited always by either faction Episcopall and Presbyteriall for though the name of Ambrose be great yet I will crave leave to speake as an Advocate against him in the name of the Emperour Theodosius Reverend Sir you take upon you to be a Iudge over me and to condemne me of a bloudy Massacre committed unjustly at Thessalonica and being so condemned you proceed against mee with your
sense is He which imitates Anabaptists in rebellion turbulence and opposition to Law and such are liable to Law but negatively a Puritan in the acception of King Iames is not He which dislikes Episcopacie or the Ceremonious Discipline of England This King Iames protests upon his honour though to his great dishonour He be now often cited to the contrary As for those which rellish not Bishops and Ceremonies or the English Policie Wishes them to be at peace only with those of the opposite opinion Hee himselfe vowing equall love and honour to the grave and learned of either side and not taking upon him to be a Judge in so old and difficult a controversie He onely like a sweet arbitrator perswades both parties to peace and amity I wish our Bishops would now stand to this arbitration I wish they would neither condemne the Scots discipline nor urge the English I wish they would put difference betweene seditious and scrupulous Puritans and not inferre the one out of the other I wish they would either disclaime King Iames as a manifest favourer of Puritans or else imitate him in the same definition and opinion of them King Iames further takes notice that the reformation in Scotland was far more disorderly then in England Denmark c. whilst the mayne affaires there were unduly carried by popular tumults and by some fiery-spirited Ministers which having gotten the guiding of the multitude and finding the relish of government sweet did fancie to themselves a democratick forme of policy wherein they were likely to be Tribuni plebis That the Crown might be disincombred of these usurping ring-leaders the King advises the Prince to entertaine and advance godly learned and modest Ministers promoting them to Bishopricks but restrayning them heedfully from pride ambition and avarice These things then are hence observable First Scotland differs from England in turbulent Ministers Secondly this is imputed to the iniquity of the times not to Puritanisme as if by nature the Scots were more inclining to Puritanisme then other Nations Thirdly notwithstanding that iniquity of those times there was a number sufficient of worthy Ministers fit for preferrement Fourthly King Iames erects Bishops Sees in Scotland for peculiar reasons and therefore He speaks not of Denmarke c. Lastly notwithstanding that peculiar reason He advises the Prince to be indifferently at warre with both extreams alike as well to represse Papall Bishops as to curbe proud Puritans For sayes the King the naturall sicknesses which have ever troubled and beene the decay of all Churches since the beginning changing the Candlesticke from one to another have beene pride ambition and avarice and these wrought the overthrow of the Romish Church in divers Countreys King Iames knew well how apt Churchmen had ever beene to abuse their power and pompe what enemies the High-Priests had beene to our Saviour and what a tyranny Bishops had erected over all Christendome ever since Constantine almost and therefore though he dislikes a Democracie in the Church as Hee had reason yet Hee so limits and circumscribes his Bishops both in power and honour that they might be as sensible of their chaines and fetters as of their Miters and Crosiers I wish King Iames had particularly signified what bonds and bounds Hee thought fit to prefixe to Episcopacie to preserve it from corruption and what his opinion was of a Prelacie so active in secular affaires as ours is now in England and how it would have pleased him to see a Metropolitan amongst Protestants almost a rivall to the French Cardinall The world in my opinion hath little reason to doate upon a gowned Empire wee have all smarted long enough under it men of meane birth commonly beare preferment with little moderation and their breeding having beene soft and effeminate in their malice and cruelty they neerest of all approach to the nature of Women and by the advantage of learning they extend their power and win upon others more then they ought When the Church was at first under Heathen or Jewish Governours which sought as enemies to ruine it not as Fathers to protect it they which were within could not live in peace and unity without some Politicall bonds so at that time there was a necessity of some coercive power within besides that which was without The world is now unsatisfied what kinde of power that was whether Episcopall or Presbyteriall or what Episcopacy or Presbytery was in those dayes Yet me thinks what government so ever then was it is not necessarily precedentary to us now The Episcopall faction at this day takes advantage by the abuses of the Presbyteriall and the Presbyteriall by the Episcopall and most men thinke either the one power or the other necessary and some more favour the Episcopall as K. Iames some the Presbyteriall as M. Calvin but sure the Presbyteriall is lesse offensive then the Episcopall and yet neither the one nor other of necessity Kings may grant usuram quandam jurisdictionis either to Bishops or Elders but the jurisdiction it selfe is their owne property from which they ought not to depart nor can without wrong to their charge committed to them For the power which God gives the Prince is not given for his use alone but for the peoples benefit so that since He cannot let it fall to decay without making it insufficient for good and entire government which is mischievous to the people he cannot justly lessen it at all And it is manifest that except one supreme head be alone in all causes as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill humane nature must needs be destitute of those remedies which are necessary for its conservation since power cannot be divided but it must be diminished to him which suffers that division and being diminished it proves insufficient All confesse some government necessary for men in holy Orders to whom the power of the Keyes belongs but some account Princes but as meere Temporall or Lay persons and therefore conclude against their authority over sacred Ecclesiasticall persons as incompetent especially in cases meerely Ecclesiasticall For this cause spirituall Governours have ever beene in the Church to whom some have attributed a divine right depending from none but God and subordinate to none but God but this hath beene controverted by others and no little debate and strife hath followed hereupon But it seemes to me that Princes do receive from God a spirituall Unction whereby not onely their persons are dignified and their hearts prepared and enlarged with divine graces fit for rule but their functions also innobled and sanctified above any other whatsoever and higher advanced then the sense of Laick or Secular will beare To Princes an assistance of counsell is requisite in spirituall as in civill affaires but that that Counsaile ought to bee composed onely of persons Ecclesiasticall or that those persons ought to bee invested with all those Ensignes of Honour and Authority which our Bishops now claime as of divine right seemes not necessary Clergy-men are
not alwayes the most knowing in all Ecclesiasticall cases neither are they at all indifferent and impartiall in many which concerne their owne honour and profit as the world feeles to his regret therefore for jurisdiction they are not the most competent But be they of what use soever they may still remaine subordinate and at the Princes election and admitted of ad consilium solum not ad consensum and it had beene happy for all Christians these many hundred yeares by past if they had not been further hearkned to The Sacerdotall function is not at all disparaged by this subordination for whether the order of Princes be more sacred then that of Bishops or not it is all one to Priests for an obedience they owe and must pay be it to the one Order or the other Our Bishops at this day stand much upon their Divine right of Jurisdiction and they refer their style to the providence of God immediatly not to the grace of the King and though in words they acknowledge a Supremacie of power to remain to the King yet indeed I thinke they mean rather a priority of order Whatsoever Supremacie they meane if it be not such as makes them meerely subordinate and dependent so that the King may limit alter or extinguish their jurisdiction as far as He may to his civill Judges they derogate much from his Kingly office Bishops for their claime of Jurisdiction ought to prove that they alone did exercise it over all in all causes from our Saviours dayes till the entrance of Christian Princes and that being cleared they must further prove that those times also are leading and precedentary to ours In both these their proofes are lame especially in the latter for neither is the power of the Keyes the same thing as Iurisdiction nor is jurisdiction now as it was in the Apostles dayes nor is the State of the times now the same as then In those dayes either Christians were to implead one another before Infidel Magistrats whatsoever the case were criminall or civill spirituall or temporall or else they were to erect some tribunall in the Church or else they were to await no justice at all and because some judicature within the Church was most fit therfore Christ himselfe according to the exigence of those times did endow his Church with a divine Oeconomy which was partly miraculous and of use then but not now The Spirit of God did then internally incite such and such men at such times to reside and preside in such such places and some of the Apostles at some times could judge by inspiration without proofs and allegations and could execute sentence of death or other spirituall punishment upon secret hypocrites not intrenching upon temporall authority but in these times this discipline is uselesse and therefore decayed Whatsoever the offence then was what injury or trespasse soever betwixt brother and brother the onely remedy was Dic Ecclesiae and yet that precept serves as strong for temporall as spirituall trespasses so that it cannot be enforced now to continue unlesse wee meane to drowne all temporall authority As for the extent also of spirituall power in those dayes I will onely cite a learned Politician of the Popish religion who admitting it seemed that the keyes of heaven were given to Saint Peter alone and his Successours and not to all Bishops and Ministers whatsoever thus proceeds By the keyes given to S. Peter many Holy Fathers mean the one of knowledge and the other of power and that that power ought not to be understood universally but only concerning the Kingdome of Heaven which is spirituall for the Civill Royall and Temporall power is expresly forbidden him by Christ Even so that also of knowledge it is not to be understood of naturall politike or morall things but as Saint Paul saith of Christs mysteries only Wherefore in matters of faith Ecclesiasticall authority may approve and Secular cannot condemne but in matters of policy what all the Prelates in the World approve Temporall authority may condemne It is a great wrong to pretend because Christ hath given Saint Peter the cognizance and power of the Kingdome and forbidden him the earthly contrary to this precept to extend spirituall things to temporall Saint Augustine often saith That Grace doth not destroy any thing in Nature but leaveth her all her owne adding moreover divine perfection The Temporality hath of its owne nature power to forbid all things repugnant to publike quietnesse and honesty and Christ came not to take away this authority from Magistrates He onely addes power to his Ministers in matters of faith not knowne by nature but revelation For ought wee know this power of opening or shutting Heaven of binding and loosing sinnes was miraculous and so but Temporary but admit it in this Catholike Writers sense yet we plainly see it is no prejudice at all to limit Secular Princes thereby The same learned Papist writes That the Easterne and Westerne Churches continued in unity and charity for the space of nine hundred yeares after Christ and this peace was easily kept because the Supreme power was then in the Canons to which all Churches acknowledged themselves equally subject Ecclesiasticall Discipline was then severely maintained in each Country by its owne Prelates not arbitrarily but absolutely according to Canonicall rigour none of them intermedling in anothers government No Pope of Rome did pretend to conferre Benefices in other Bishops Diocesses or to get money out of others by way of Dispensations and Buls but when Rome began to shake off all subjection to Canons then notwithstanding any ancient order of the Fathers Councels or Apostles themselves in stead of her ancient Primacy she brought in an absolute Dominion free from any Law or Canon and this made the division Neither could any re-union bee brought to passe within these 700 yeares because this abuse which caused the Division is not remedied Whilst the union held Saint Pauls doctrine was joyntly observed that Every one should be subject to Princes no man pretended to be free from punishment Nay and after the division the same opinion remained that every Christian in temporall businesses is subject to the Prince And nothing is more temporall then offence because nothing is more contrary to the Spirit Amongst the Greeks also it is still held that Bishops ought to judge what opinion is sound what Hereticall but to punish those of hurtfull opinions belongeth to the Secular The State of Venice as well as other Catholike Kingdomes walks between two extreams betweene Protestants which have no other ayme but to diminish Ecclesiasticall authority and the Court of Rome which hath no other aime but to encrease it and to make the Temporall her servant Those of the Court of Rome making use of Religion for worldly ends and respects under a spirituall pretense but with an ambitious end and desire of worldly wealth and honour would free themselves from obedience due to the Prince and take away
ghostly punishment subjecting me to your Ecclesiasticall severity But I pray consider what mischiefes may follow hereupon if Emperours may be punishable by Bishops then common equity requires that Emperors have the benefit of a faire hearing and arraignment or else were their condition more miserable than the condition of the meanest vassals for as Princes actions are more inscrutible and their counsels more mysticall so also their ends are for the most part more lyable to envy and mis-interpretation It is not possible for you without due discussion inquiry and examination of impartiall witnesses perfectly to understand all the true circumstances reasons and grounds of this my faâ—â— and without this understanding it is not possible for you to pronounce a just censure against me It 's necessary then that some Tribunall be prepared for you and some Barre for me that upright Sentence may passe and that Iustice may be done understandingly and upon this it must needs follow that I am your meere Subject and must lay down my Scepter to bow my selfe under your Crosier till this difficulty be fully ended Admit this also and then you may use what procrastination you please in this intricate decision or in the like manner question mee of all other enormities and scandalous deviations which rumor envy or treason it selfe forges against me and thus shall I have no leasure to judge other men it will be scarce possible for me to acquit my selfe in judgment from other men that power which God hath put into my hands for the protection of so many Myriads will be utterly disabled by that higher power which is put into your hands over me By the same reason also that I am to render an account to you in this place I am to render the like to all your superiours equals or inferiours in other jurisdictions of all sins whatsoever whether reall or imputable Ecclesiasticall or Civil so that no end is like to be of my tryals purgations or condemnations You will say my crime is sensibly evident if I would deny this you could not prove it so and if I would not confesse this you could not force me for it was a politicall thing and farre off acted and my meere confession can give to you no Iurisdiction But be my crime as manifest in it selfe as the disobedience of Saul was to Samuel or as Davids murther was to Nathan or as Salomons incontinence was to all the World or as Manasses his Idolatry yet why should I suffer more than they What new coercive vindicative authority have Priests gained over Princes by Christs Gospel which the Iewish Priests never used claymed or heard of If Excommunication c. be now necessary sure it was in use before Christ and then we should have heard of some Kings Excommunicated c. by some Priests for if the Temporall power had not of its owne nature a competent force and habitude to restraine all things repugnant to publique quietnesse and honesty a Spirituall power was necessary and yet we read of none such But if there was a sufficiency in the Temporall power as is most manifestly apparent then wee cannot imagine that Christ came to take away any of this authority from Magistrates but that power which he added was rather an excellency of grace and vertue in matters of Faith and illumination It cannot be alleadged by you that that punishment is meerely spirituall and so no politicall evill for as it puts other men into the condition of Publicans Heathens and worse so it further yet degrades disables and oppresses Princes How shall he be honored and obeyed as the Vicegerent of God in all causes whom the Layty sees ejected out of the Church and expelled out of the Communion of the Faithfull as a rotten contagious member How shall hee be held more sacred than a Priest whom the sentence interdiction and the confounding blow of a Priests spiritual execration shall render so contemptible miserable and abominable in the eyes of the world Saint Paul being accused in matters of Doctrine made his appeale to a wicked Heathen Emperor and yet now a Christian godly Emperor being accused by any Church-man no appeale is allowed though in meere civill accusations S. Peters Keyes did either induce some new power not before known unto the world or not if it did then our Saviours Gospell came into the world to the detriment of civill government which is contrary to Religion and all reason and if no new addition of power were imported then Tiberius himselfe though a Heathen and Tyrant remained as absolute as before and yet in his time there was more necessity of an Ecclesiasticall judicature than is now But you will say if Princes be not subject to some chastisement then some scandals must passe unremediable Not so for here God is the revenger and strikes often as he did Vzziah but if not yet either the Temporall or Spirituall Governour must passe unchastiz'd which is all one for two Supreames cannot be nor no entire Government without some supremacy nor no supremacy without immunity and exemption from judgement The perpetuall conflicts and contestations betweene Princes and Prelats which are likely to ensue will soone cleere this that either Princes must at last submit to the tribunals of Church-men and raigne at their discretion or else Church-men must submit to them For both Tribunals cannot stand compatible For my part I excuse so grave a Father as you are of ambition herein and therfore I am the lesse cautious in summiting my selfe at this time but I conceive this Doctrine may bee the ground of dangerous consequences to others and therefore I desire it may not from mee passe into a president for the time to come Let not proud Prelates from this my voluntary humiliation arrogate to themselves as if it had been due or derogate thereby from the more sacred order of Princes neither let Princes from this particular learne to yeeld to any Spirituall Monarchy whatsoever My beliefe is that the Prince is the Head the Fountaine the Soule of all power whatsoever Spirituall or Temporall wherein he ought not to indure at all any kind of rivality of Ecclesiasticall persons nor can admit of any diminution in any part of his Iurisdiction without offence to God dammage to his charge and danger to himselfe So much for Theodosius and so much for that Iurisdiction which is due to Prelats I should now speake of the exercise thereof as it is granted by the favour of Princes but this is a very tender point It seemes to some that Princes ought not to incumber men in Sacred Orders in any kind of judicature which is not purely spirituall nor that Prelates can accept of any Temporall imployment whatsoever without dishonour to their Orders and neglect to their cure of Soules and yet now none so greedy of such imployment A sacred place may not be put to secular uses that 's prophane but a sacred person may that 's honorable A Bishoprick now
Mitre shine as gloriously upon the seven-hilled City as the Diadem had done before During his warres with the Emperour of Germany He had other contestations also with England and some other Potentates at sometimes but all dismaid him not only once He was heard to say It was time for him to compound with the Dragon that he might crush the lesser Adders at his pleasure Yet after this even this Holy tyranny growes too insolent and insufferable and so conspires its owne dissolution so that many Countries in the North-west parts lying more remote from Rome quite revolt from her Allegeance and protest against her Amongst those other Countries also lesse distant which still in words confesse her Supremacy her Reigne is now but little more then precarious Venice regards not Buls and Anathemaes France disdaines a yonger brothers benediction and Spaine being honoured with the title of the Popes eldest Son confesses him a Father but imployes him as a Chaplain gives verball but reapes reall honours by him Augustus having cashiered an unworthy Commander gave him leave to say that hee had cashiered Augustus and so the Popes great sonnes shake off his yoke by degrees but conceale it and give him leave to doe the like It is now very good policy in the Pope not to pretend to Temporall things as they stand in ordine or have relation to spirituall things but rather to relinquish his right to spirituall things as they stand in order to Temporall it is eminent wisedome in him to forbeare threatning roaring cursing and sending his ridiculous Epigrams out of his owne Territories as he was wont to doe Nay his very last refuge of sending forth his poysoning and stabbing Ministers cannot remaine in season much longer But to returne to our learned Statesman as Hee justly taxes the Court of Rome so Hee unjustly taxes Protestants of the contrary extreme and this will appeare out of his owne words For He grants first that the Secular Magistrates have nothing diminished of their authority by Christs comming and it is cleare that Princes were absolute Governours of the Church before Christ both in Spirituall and Temporall Cases In the next place He yeelds that the power and knowledge of Clergy-men called the power of the Keyes is no other but such as Christ infuses in meere supernaturall things knowne onely by Faith and Revelation not by any physicall or Ethicall Principles but it is easily proved by us that such power can extend to no proper jurisdiction at all in humane affaires but is a meere speculative Notion and such we deny not Thirdly Hee yeelds that in Jurisdiction there bee three things distinct First matter of Law Secondly matter of fact Thirdly matter of execution whereby retribution is made to every fact according to Law The first of these and that in Spirituall Cases alone being tryable by Clergy-men only Admit this and nothing followes but that things meerely Spirituall are best knowne to Spirituall persons there is no power here concluded As for example In case of Heresie that I hold such an opinion must appeare by witnesses and proofes and herein all kindes of witnesses besides Clergy-men are competent Next that this opinion is hereticall requires the judgement of Ecclesiasticall persons but it does not follow if they be the fittest Judges herein that they must bee the supreme Judges herein and not as well Dependent and Subordinate as our Civill Judges are in common actions But in the last place that such an hereticall opinion so dangerous and pestilent to the Church and Common-wealth ought to bee corrected or eradicated by such coercive force and the raising of that force whereby it is to be punished is in the judgement and in the power of the Supreme Magistrate for two Magistrates cannot have a Supreme power of the same sword Either the Secular must command the Ecclesiasticall or the Ecclesiasticall must command the Secular as to coercive power or a worse confusion then either must needs follow So then it is the Execution of justice alone which is essentiall to the Supreme Governour Matter of Law requires a Counsellour Matter of fact a witnesse Matter of Execution alone intimates a Prince and that Principality cannot bee divided betwixt two persons of a severall nature From hence then it appeares plainely that no Catholike differing from the Court of Rome ascribes more to Clergy-men then this first poynt of adjudging according to the Law of God in things Divine and this implyes rather a dependent then an independent condition in the judge and in this Protestants joyne with full consent But all this while I finde my selfe in a digression my scope is not to proove that Protestants doe attribute sufficient to Priests it lies upon mee to prove that they attribute too much to them and herein I am to undertake not onely the Episcopall but the Presbyteriall side also not onely Protestant Prelates but even Master CALVIN that great Antiprelate also Divines have much trumped the World hitherto in not setting forth the true bounds and limits of Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction but if I mistake not the first power which they claime as most essentiall they take to be the power of the Keyes though they define not certainly what that is whether a power or Office or to whom belonging or of what extent and continuance The second power which they insist upon as next issuing out of the power of the Keyes is in Excommunication Ordination of Ministers Exposition of Scriptures c. The third and more remote kinde of causes wherein they challenge an Ecclesiasticall power is of such as concerne Matrimonie Testaments Heresies Fasts Tythes and Immunities of Clergy-men c. And further doubtlesse they would proceed but that these savour so much of the Temporality and discover their trumpery but I have said if in all these cases Clergy-men are necessarily more knowing and impartiall then all men else there is necessity of their Counsell to declare matter of Law but not of their Consent in applying coercive and forcible remedies for the execution of Law I have said also that Clergie-men being as well Citizens of the Common-wealth as sonnes of the Church and these Cases importing as well perturbance of the State annoyance to the Church that there can be but one Head which ought to have command over both and in both It is manifest also that many Cases are partly temporall and partly spirituall and that scarce any is so temporall but that it relates in some order to spirituall things or any so spirituall but that it hath some relation to temporall things so that the true subject of Ecclesiasticall and civill justice cannot rightly be divided Further also it is as manifest that where any doubt strife or uncertainty may arise betweene one Jurisdiction and another neither acknowledging any supreme power of decision no assured peace can continue and by consequence no stability or permanent subsistence to either is to be expected It is naturall therefore to be inferred