Galatia even so they should doe and repeates it to them 1 Cor. 16.1.2 what that Order was were it not a folly thinke you that Saint Paul should take on him to make Orders Rules and Canons it he did not know He had Power and authority both to create them and also to put them in execution in those severall Churches And the same Saint Paul writing to the Church of Galatia complaines that some had endeavoured to pervert them from the Gospell He by the Power of the Keyes doth accurse with Anathema such False Teachers Si quis whis evangel zazerit praterid quod accepistis Gal. 1.7 8 9. Anathema sit And to the Church of Thessalonica Hee gives his Commands to withdraw themselves from such as walke disorderly and not after the Traditions or Ordinances by them received from Him 2 Thes. 3.6.10 12.14 commanding that he that would not worke should not eate and that with quietnesse they should worke and eate their owne bread and requiring that they which obeyed not his word they should not associate or keepe company with them And as for Hymenaeus and Alexander who were retrograde in the Faith Saint Paul by power of the Keyes did deliver to Satan and in particular Hee binds Alexander the Copper-smith who had done him much Evill to be rewarded by the Lord according to his workes Thus it is manifest that Saint Paul alone as Metropolitan and Superintendent of severall Churches or Diocesses did exercise this Office of Government of making Canons Rules and Ordinances of Mission and Ordination and of censures by Binding and Leosing which He did doe without Conjunction with or assistance of any Consistory or Presbytery or any other with Him as I conceive Num. 30 Episcopacy delegated unto successors And now finally least it should be alledged that though this office was in the Apostles as well divisim as anjunction equally yet it ended with them as to the execution of it by one alone and then it fell into the Church promiscuously or into the Consistory which if any shall say Let it be proved and take it But the contrary appeares evidently for Saint Paul delegated it unto Timothy and Titus the one instituted Bishop of Ephesus and the other Bishop of Crete as is evidenced by these Scripture-particulars Saint Paul tells Timothy that he had disposed of him for Ephesus to the end he should charge others that they should teach no other Doctrine 1 Tim. 1 3â— which carries in it matter of power and Authority not to permit false Doctrine And the Apostle as Metropolitan giveth Timothy his charge and rules how he should governe and order the Ephesian Church willing and appointing how men should pray with hands erected 1 Tim. 1.18 2 Tim. 2.8.0 and women to be adorned with modest apparell with shamefastnesse and modesty learning in silence with subjection nottaking on them to teach or to usurpe authority ower the man And then the Apostle declares as an undoubted truth 2 Tim. 3.1.4.9.11 that the desire of the office of a Bishop is a good worke whose care ought to be to rule his owne Family wel that he may rule the Church the better and he having given Timothy severall instructions he appoints him to command and teach them not onely teach them as a Presbyter but also command as a Superintendent and Superiour otherwise he might command and doe it himselfe and concerning Elders Widdowes and Children hee appoints Timothy to give them in charge to be blamelesse and gives him powor of receiving and rejecting of Widdowes into and out of the care of the Church which is a parcell of authority surely and as for the Elders he appoints Timothy to let them be couâ—ted worthy of double honour 1 Tim. 5.17.19.22 surely then Timothy was a person of greater honour authority other wife he could not conferre honour on others and as for the power of Ecclesiasticall-judicâ—ture Timothy must not receive an accusation against an Eâ—der but before two or three witnesses Which informes me that Timothy had power as an Ecclesiasticall Iudge to heare and determine complaints and to examine witnesses and to give Sentence and Elder being Presbyter sheweth that he was Iudge of Presbyters and Teachers And as for Mission and Ordination it is cleere as the Sunne that Timothy had that power to Execute it alone for he is exhorted suddainly to lay hands on no man and Timothy himselfe was ordained and consecrated to this Office per prophetion aforehand eum impositione manuum presbytery 1 Tim 1.18 and 4.14 with imposition of hands by the Presbyterie non per Presbiteros not by the Presbyters but by the office of the Presbytery which may be done by one as if I say I receive Baptisme at the bands of Priesthood I say true though it be alwayes done by one Minister onely 2. Tim. 1.8 and so it appeares this was For Saint Paul sayes it was perimpositionem Manuum mearum by imposition of my hands which addes confirmation to the former point that one Apostle did and might execute this office of Episcopacy and so a Bishop might then be consecraeted by one as Timothy then was Council Nicen. 1. can. 4. Bin 10. pâ— 161. col 1. P. though afterwards when the stock of Bishops was stored it was Decreed that Conseeration should be done by three at the least And never thelesse for the point in hand our Apostle here appointeth Timothie that what he had heard from Saint Paul he should commit to faithfull men able to teach which is the Power of Ordination of Ephesus 2 Tim. 2.2.14 which Ministers hee was to charge that they should not strive about words tending to the subversion of the Auditory which comprises in it matter of Episcopall Authority And as for Titus the Apostle tells him Tit. 1.5 that he also left him in Creet aini corrigea qua desunt to the end that he should set in Order things wanting constituat per Civitates Presbyteros and ordaine Elders in every City which plainely declareth that Titus was ordained Bishop of Crete by Saint Paul alone and that Titus had power delegated to him to rule and governe otherwise he could not set things in Order and had power to ordaine teaching Elders to wit Presbyters and Ministers which Iurisdiction and power was not to be Exercised in one Parish onely but the Text sayes in every Citty whereby Titus had a large Dixes or Territory And at the end of these Epistles of Saint Paul to Timothy and Titus it is recorded though peradventure not Scripture yet exceeding ancient and next Scripture the Church of the Ephesians and Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Cretians I shall conclude with that of the Spirit of God to the Angels of the seven Churches in Asia Reve. 2. These were not indeed Angels or spirituall Essences for reall Angels are not partly'good and partly evill nor to be chargedwith good
established And therefore afterwards there was made The Statute of 5. and 6. of King Edward the fixt Cap. 1. The Kings most excellent Majestie hath caused the aforesaid Order of Common Service intituled The Booke of Common Prayer to be faithfully and godly perusâ—d explained and made fully perfect and hath Adjoyned it to this present Statute adding also a Forme and manner of making and Consecrating of Archbishops Bishops Priests and Deacons to be of like force authority and value as the same like aforesaid Booke intituled The Booke of Common Prayer was before and to be accepted received used esteemed in like sort and manner as by the said Act of the second yeare of the Kings Majesties raigne was ordained for uniformity of Service and administration of the Sacraments And the aforesaid Act to stand in full force to and for the establishing the Booke of Common Prayer now explained and hereunto annexed And also the said Forme of making Archbishops Bishops Priests and Deacons hereunto annexe is it was for the former Book And Bee it further enacted that if any person shall wittingly or wilfully heare or be present at any other form of Common Prayer Administration of Sacraments making of Ministers and other Rites then are mentioned in the said Booke shall suffer c. Hereby as is manifest the forme both of Common Prayer Celebration of the Sâ—â—amâ—nâ—s and also Ordination and Consecration of Bishops Priests and Deacons was made One intire Booke or volume And afterwards Queene Marie haâ—ing attained the Crowne did as R. B. sayes make an Act of Repeale in Anno primo regni sui cap. 2. Thus It is enacted and established that one Act of Parliament in 2. Edward 6. intituled an Act for the uniformity of Service and Administration of the Sacraments throughout the Realme and also one other Act made 5. Edward 6. entituled An Act for the uniformity of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments shall be from henceforth utterly Repealed and of none effect This being that Act of Parliament which R. R. sayes killed King Edwards Booke of Consecration it is to be observed that this Act of Repeale doe's expressely neither mention any thing in particular nor in precise words repeale any Law made for preseribing the forme of Consecration c. But it doe's repeale and mention onely the foresaid Lawes intituled Acts for the uniformity of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments which particular is not here urged to gainesay it but that thereby The authority for that manner of Consecration and Ordination was repealed and annihilated but it is here offered for removall of a weake objection which peradventure may be made upon the Statute of Revier hereafter mentioned made in the very beginning of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth Num. 10 But such was the high wisedome of Royall Queene Elizabeth of ever most famous memory as that notwithstanding the confident affirmation of R. B. there was not in her raigne for preventing of all scruples doubts and quarels any Consecration till Queene Maries Law therein was repealed and made vtterly voyd by Stat. 1. Eliz. cap. 2. thus Wheras at the death of our late Soveraign Lord King Edward the sixt there remained one uniforme Order of Common Service and Prayer and administration of Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies in the Church of England authorized by Act of Parliament holden in the sift and sixt yeares of our said late Soveraigne King Edward the sixt intituled an Act for the uniformioy of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments the which was repealed and taken away by Act of Parliament in the first yeare of the raigne of our late Soveraigne Lady Queene Mary to the great decay of the honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the Truth of Christs Religion Be it enacted by Authority of this present Parliament that the Estatute of Repeale and every thing therein conteined onely concerning the said Booke and the Service Administration of the Sacraments rites and Ceremonies cont eyned or appointed in or by the said Booke shall be void and of none effect from and after the Feast of the Nativity of Saint Iohn Baptist next comming And that the said Booke with the Order of Service Administration of the Sacraments Rites and Ceremonies with the Alterations and Additions therein added and appointed by this Statute shall stand and be from and after the said Feast of the Nativity of Saint Iohn Baptist in full force and effect according to the tenor and effect of this Statute any thing in the foresaid Estature of Repeale to the contrary not withstanding Now by this Acte of Parliament the aforesaid Acte of Queene Mary being repealed as concerning this very Booke which comprised in it as well the Consecration of Bishorps and Ordination of Priests and Deacons as the Celebration of Divine Servic and administration of the Sacraments And from and after Mid-Summer then following in Anno 1559. The same Booke being in all things become againe in full vigour and force then afterwards was Doctor Parker our first Protestant Bishop which was made in Queene Elizabeths Raigne elected and consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury for ought by R.B. urged to the contrary rightly orderly lawfully according to publike knowne and allowed Square rule forme order fashion which Booke and all Consecrations ab initio regni Elizabethae Reginae were againe Confirmed by Acte of Parliament 8. Elizab. cap. 1. not for any need of it but to satisfie some causelesse scrupulofities If it be objected That in this last Act there is no expresse mention of Consecration then it is answered as before touched That Queene Maries Lawe made no expresse mention of Consecration neither But to make it Sans doubt by this Law is Queene Maries Law made utterly voyd Whereby King Edwards Lawes therein became in force And more-over by this Law of Queene Elizabeth that Booke which is but one Totum is recontinued and set in it 's full strength and vertue Hereby it appeares what little regard R. B. had either to the force of truth or to his owne Reputation and credit by affirming with bold considence that this Booke was first called from Death to life by the nine and thirty Articles only and that the Church of England had not for the space of foure yeares any publicke allowed forme of consecration of Bishops or Ordination of Priests and Deacons SECT. II. R.B. OBIECTION II. Num. 11 AGaine the first Protestant Censecration or admittance of any to be a Bishop by that Booke or Order in Queene Elizabeths Raigne was on the 17 day of December in her second yeare as they pretend from the Register of Marthew Parker But their owne both private and publike Authorities prove that both Matthew Parker their first pretended Archbishop and others were received and allowed for Arch-Bishops and Bishops about 6 moneths before their first pretended Consecration on the 17 of December For Parker Barlow Scory and Grindall were
not to all yet to such as thinke it better to have a little light than none at all untill an abler Pen as meaner than mine cannot be should vouchsafe a more polite and exact Vindication of our afflicted Church from this Aversaries false Accusation wherenith it hath stood charged unhappily these eight yeeres which will in my simple opinion be worth the undertaking to the end the Foule mouth of this Romish Adversarie may be as fully stopped in the particulars now in question as other like Underminers of our Churches foundation have beene already concerning all other their vaine plots and devices against our Episcopall Consecration and Sacerdotall Ordination to their utter shame and perpetuall silence which brave worke concerning these parpiculars had ere this time I beleeve shewed it selfe Conspicuous to the world if this Booke of R. B. had in all this time come to the viem before me of any of our brave and able Champions of our Israel In the meane season if this shall as a taste yeeld any relish or product any profit at all it is a blessing farre beyond my deserts and if Errors in it bee remitted or passed over in gentle silence it is a favour of grace heartily Supplicated Howsoever my meaning is good Ultra non And although this worke is concerning Church affaires and consequently lay-hands may bee said arr not Sacred enough to handle it Yet upon perusall it will appeare to bee so dependant on temporall Lawes and Acts municipall as will I trust take off the Censure Mittendi Falcem in Messem alienam And for the accommodation of the vulgar who understand not the Latine tongue such Latine sentences as are produced out of Authors are translated into our vulgar tongue for their ease and satisfaction save onely a few Scriptures for which they may turne to in their English Bibles all which neverthelesse is humbly submitted to the correction of Superiours and to the judgement of those who can judge what it is to take paines without hope of gaines accounting my Reward very great if what I have done shall be in any sort accepted or can doe any Service Hoping you will not blame him who hath thus laboured for your sakes and would if he could doe more to bee Your ready and faithfull friend PEDAELL HARLOWE To R. B. or to such other Pontifician as shall assume to be his Vindicatour THough the Proverbe be Good wine needs no Bush yet where both good wine is within the house and also a faire Bush or brave signe without at the doore it is the more compleat and sutable and so giving full content it increases custome and advances credit to the owner But let the signe be never so brave and fine without if corrupt wine be within that house soone looses custome fals to neglect and becomes contemptible Such Sir is your Booke whose Title is so faire having the Apostolike image in Front as meriteth eo nomine highest Reverence honour and esteeme in all Christendome over The worke of an old Student in Divinity beares with it a double portion of reverence amongst all men for Sagenesse of Age and also among the best sort of Men for Divinities sake And it being dedicated to our most Royall Queene Mary Consort to our most dread Soveraigne Lord King Charles of ever renouned memory it drawes another parcell of honourable regard unto it which brave and fine outside requires the inside to be sutable in the beauty of Truth honesty and goodnesses otherwise howsoever your Favourers may flatter your wit for putting on a fair rich garment on an ugly and foul carcase to make it passe the better with such as will be easily cozened with shadowes your judgement neverthelesse must needes suffer for presuming such brave and rich Furniture to decke an unworthy and base creature withall for a present for such as can discover her Deformitie as soone as they see her If your Booke be such as such indeed it is then those glorious Titles and attributes of Apostolike judgement Divinity and royall Majestie must be taken from it as too much prophaned and Presumptuously taken in vaine Whereas if your Booke were correspondent unto and justifyable by that Title it would be a Volumne of Truths Veritas in tolo et veritas in qualibet parte even the truth the whole truth nothing but truth according to the constant custome of the holy Apostics of Jesus Christ in delivering heavenly Doctrines purely sincerely without fraud or deceit as by St. Paul is protested not onely to the Church of Rome Veritatem dico non mentior testimonium mihi perbibente conscientiâ meâ in Spiritu Sancto But also to the Church of Corinth Deus et pater Domini nostri Iesu Christi scit quod non mentior And likewise to the Church of Galatia Ecce coram Deo non mentior And so also for the Church of Ephes veritatem dico non mentior But contrarily lying Fraud punctually suites and agrees with the judgement and practice of Apostataes and Apostaticall men Builders and upholders of the Church malignant whose doom is Destruction Qui in temporibus novissimis discedent à fide attendentes spiritibus Erroris et Doctrinis Daemoniorum in hypocrisi loquentium mendacium et cauteriatam habentium conscientiam suam So as the judgment of the Apostles is Verities Dialect The judgement of Apostataes is Errors Rhetorick Now unto which of these two judgements Apostalicall or Apostaticall this Adversary of ours R. B. and his Booke doe properly belong let the Sequell determine it Whereby it will evidently appeare I trust that R. B. very well deserves the signe of the Whetstone to be prefixed to the Front of his Booke In perpetuan rei memoriam Your Tell-troth-Friend P. H. A direction for the Quotations HAving with great industry difficulty and paines had a visible knowledge not trusting to second helpes concerning all the Authorities and Quotations cited in this Tract save onely one which I could find neither among the Stationers or Booksellers nor the Libraries at Westminster or Sion Colledge nor private Studies I have for the accommodation of the searching Reader set downe each Quotation so direct and certaine in the marginall notes as the same may be found with ease so as the severall Impressions of each Booke be also here set downe which are as followeth viz. Names of the Authors The times and places of Impression Augustinus Basilia 1542. Archidiaconus Venctiis 1601. Antiquitates Britannicae Hanoviae 1605. Bellarminus Coloniae Agrippinae 1628. Baronius Coloniae Agrippinae 1624. Binius Coloniae Agrippinae 1618. Budaus Parisiis 1541. Biel. In epistola 1620. Dominicus Soto Salmantica 1568. Franciscus de victoria Lugduni 1588. Gregorius de valentia Lutetiae 1609. Godwinus Episc. Londavens Londini anglicè 1615. Historia Ecclesiastica per Basiliae 1611. Eusebium Socratem Zozomenum c. Basiliae 1611. Iohannis Reignolds Londini 1602. Mercellus Venetiis 1582. Optatus Milevitanus
did encrease it more and more But this Episcapail office of Superintendency was long before any Advancoment of honour or Revenew was conferred by Princes on Bishopricks Yea long before the Bishops could enjoy any assurance of peace for life or member being generally Martyred and persecuted for the Gospels sake And the other Reason is because this office is Spirituall which necessarily requires a Divine hand and Power to be the Author Founder and Institutor of it and that must needs be Jesus Christ the mysticall head of the Church from whom all divine and spirituall gifts are derived unto his mysticall Body and each member thereof Without all doubt Christ had in himselfe this office and power of government Mar. 28.18.19.20 Maâ—ke 16.15 John 20.20 21 22 23. and of binding and loosing For the divine Text sayes All power in heaven and earth was given to him And out of his large Stocke of power he after his Resurrection did conferre some parcell of it unto those who should after his Ascension be Governours in the Church saying unto them that As his Father sent him so also he did send them giving them Command to goe unto all Nations and to teach what he had commanded and breathing into them the Holy Ghost gave them power to bind and loose Mat. 20.25 26 -7 28. Marke 10.42.43 44 45. Luke 22.25 Vos 26 27. Which gift of power and authority was not contrary nor repugnant unto his pleasure signified unto them formerly saying The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them but yee shall not dâ—e so which Prohibition Verum non it a erit inter vos or Vos autem non it a dominabimini yee shall not rule or domineere so or in such manner as heathen Princes used to doe was not an absolute Prohibition from use of all manner of Superiority among the Clergie but a Prohibition aliquo modo a qualified Prohibition not to Rule as heathen Princes used to doe tyrannically after their-owne wills with Stat pro ratione Voluntas their pleasure to be their Law for their owne ends not regarding the welfare of the people Will. Archbp. of Canterb conference wub M. Fisher S. 6 pa 5 et 247. Mar. 23 8 9 10.10.13 13.14.15 which prohibition aliquo modo or suomodo doth infer an allowance of ruling in the Church aliquo modo in a temperate charitable manner otherwise what shall be said to a Text containing a stricter Prohibition than this Text do's and that is where Christ forbids his Disciples to be called Masters with a strong reason for it because they were Omnes frat es all Brethren If a convenient exposition can be fittâ—d to this Text that Christ did therby for bid unto them ambition or Title â—t forbidding what himself assumed saying yee call me Masier and Lord and yee say well for so I am but was so farre from affecting of honourable Titles as he beares himselfe so lowly and humbly as that He washed their feet exhorting them to doe so likewise and the chiefest and greatest among them to be Servant tanto altior tanto submissior the more honourable in out ward condition the more humble in mind and in submissive deportment If this Text being literaliter of an absolute Tenor of Prohibition may receive a benigne interpretation much more may the Text Vos non ita dominsbimini being not an absolute but a qualified Prohibition may receive the like exposition that Christ did thereby for bid such ambitious and tyrannicall Government as was exercised by Pagan-Princes and allowed neverthelesse of ruling in the Church by Superiours upon Inferiours otherwise the Consistoriall Fresbyters therefore may neither rule or governe nor be so much as called Mastors but what need of seeking further for Proofe this our Text affords it sufficiently by our Saviours words of Maximus and minimus he that is greatest among you Luke 22.26 let him be least Qui major est in vobis fiat sicut minor maximus erit Minister not that he that in authority is made Superio should be pulled down by his Inferiours but still be Superiour in authority and also be humbled in himselfe Mar. 20.28 to minister unto Inferiours just as Christ being most Supreme came to minister as followeth there in the next verse Num. 28 This being cleered it remaines to be inquired to what part of the Clergi Christ did conferre this office of Governing giving of Orders and of Binding and loosing I say not to all the then present Clergy but to some as Superiours to exercise it upon others as Inferiours episcopaty ex jure divino For which purpose it is to be noted that Christ had a Clerâ—y of two sorts to wit the Apostles and Seventy Disciples the Apostles were first called made neerest unto him and in Communion with him the Seventy Disciples were called afterwards and sent out from Christ two by two to the Apostles and to the Seventy Disciples equall Commission and power was given Mar. 4.18 20 10 1 2 8. Marke 3.13 2 19. Luke 9.1 2 10 10.1 2 20. 1. To preach the Gospell 2. To administer Sacraments 3 To heale and cure diseases 4. To worke Miracles This office they all had in Parity and in Common among them but the office and power of Mission or ordination of others for the jadiciall use of the Keyes for binding loosing in the Church and of Governing in the Church to preserve the Doctrine of Faith order therein was conferred on the Apostles conjunctim et divisim joyntly severally to them Christ said As my Father sent me so I send you 10 1.4â—4 43 and 3 22 and 4 1 2. Commission corjunction et divisim to the end by power of that Mission they might send others as he had sent them Into them he breathed the Spirit of truth Accipite Spititum Sanctum for the establishing of sacred Doctrines and for prevention of heresies and errors in matters of Faith and to them were the Keyes of binding and loosing of Delinquents and Penitents out of and into the Church for offences unto the Church and for the absolute confirmation of them in this sacred office the Holy Spirit did according to Christs promise visibly descend on them at Pentecost Luke 24.49 Act. 1.4 Act 2.1.2.3.4 after Christs Ascension into heaven In all or any of which particulars the Seaventy Disciples for ought I read in Scripture had not any immediate participation or share and according to the Power and Authority of this office conferred on the Apostles joyntly and severally they did whiles they were all at Hierusalem convene and assemble together Act. 1.2.6.13.20.23.24.25.26 and elected Mathias to succeed Iud is in his Bishopricke whereof he was deprived by his Treason to his Master and by his Act of Felo de se And these Twelve Apostles at another Assembly did ordaine for their ease Seaven Deacons at a time Act. 6 1
things and with had things too as the best nun are For Angels are either totally good without any mixture of finne as are the blessed Cherubins and Seraphins and other heavenly Spirits or else totally deformed and wicked as Diabolicall spirits be The word Angell in this piece of Scripture must needs be borrowed to expresse somegreat men and glorious in those Churches as Kings are for Majestic and power called Gods So Bishops and Superintendants are here called Angels being persons eminent and glorious for Ecclefiasticall honour and piety And as there were in Asia just seyen Churches mentioned so the Angels or Superintendants are reckoned to be onely Seaven one for each Church to whom in particular is directed the Message of the Spirit of God on behalfe of themselves and the Church under each of their Governments like the Message of an Emperour to his severall Princes and Governours of his severall Cities concerning detention of Tribute it is delivered and directed unto the severall Princes and Governours onely but it is for and on the behalfe of them selves and the people under each of their Principalitieis And that there were then indeed Superintendents or Bishops over those Seven Churches of Asia is manifested by Ecclesiasticall History But what is comprised in sacred Scripture is so ample and cleere to this purpose as there is no need of Authorities or proofes out of Historie Howbeit antient and authenticke Ecclesisticall Histories doe declare how that as Citties and Common-ireales were converted to the Faith Bishops were even in the Apostles dayes ordained to be Superintendents over those Citties and Countries of the Apostles and Disciples were ordained Bishops of some of those Seas Eusebiu lib. 2. cap. 1. Anto. Cron. part 1. ccp 8. paragr. 1. as Iames called Brother of our Lord Iesus was immediatly after Christs Ascention ordained by the Apostles Peter Iames and Iohn to be Bishops of Hierusalem where Hee continued thirtie yeares and then suffered Martyrdome Saint Peter was first Bishop of Antioch where hee continued seven yeares and Marke the Evangelist was the first Bishop of Alexandria and as the Churches in severall Provinces encreased so the number of Bishops encreased where they had Successours for many hundred yeares And this Office of Episcopacy bath ever continued in the Catholicke Church hitherto And therefore if Scripture were darke and not cleare in this point yet if there be but a print or shaddow of Episcopacy there seeing the same was immediatly after our Sâ—â—â—â—â—â— Ascention put in practise by the Apostles and hath had penpetuall continuance and Succession in the Church of God ever since the same is a sufficient Exposition of the meaning of Scripture if it were obscure in it but seeing the Scripture is in my opinion cleere in it and continuall Succession hath blest it my judgement is captivated and convinced and my conscience is fully satisfied That this Office Episcopall is exjure divino and that this Episcopall office was sometimes executed by one Bishop alone and sometimes by one Bishop as Supreme Superintendent with others Presbyters as Assistants bearing this mind neverthelesse to be corrected by Superiours and to be informed by more forcible prooses and to be reformed in whatsoever is mistaken professing ingennously than this is not thus presented on any supposall that these Records of Scripture have not beenc already produced it ia truly acknowledged that this point hath bin both long since and also of fate by severall learned Doctors and Divines famous in our Church most solidly and soundly vindicated But seeing old Arguments on the Presbyterian party some in the same old clothes and some with new apparell have beene of late revived and come abroad without any notice taken of the cleere Defences made on the Episcopall party by the learned in those times I think I may thus petere petita sing an old song too which was never before I thinke thus dressed Sure I am I being no way engaged to either party in particular profit orinterest am the more impartiall being onely swayed with the Power and Evidence I thinke of perfect and unconquerable Truth out of Gods Booke not professing these all the Scripture proofes for it nor that every singular Text here vouched doe cleerely proove the point but hoping that each Text does render somewhat towards it and some and many of them direct and all connexed doe together become I beleeve invincible conjunct vincunt si singula prosint And what I have here presumed is meerely my owne conceptions without addresse to any promptuary or other belpe which is intended not for disputation or controversie but as a Corolarium to my Tract against R. B. for declaratum of mine Opinion backt with Scripture prose which strongly inclines my Heart to cleave with all filiall duty submissive Obedience and humble reverence unto our holy Mother our sacred Church of England long blest with the use and honour of Episcpacy and I trust in God shall ever be to the end of the world And now whiles our Romish Adversaries are according to Divine providence by One or other utterly ejected and convinced let not O let not any unhappy schisme division or fruitlesse Contention distract us at Home the high way to loose all which the great God of Peace by the high merit of our Sacrifice of Peace with sweetest influences of the blest Spirit of Peace prevent in time firmely and strongly binding with the Triple-Cord of Peace Truth unity and Love all our unhappy breaches in a solide and perpetuall Conjunction of Christion Amity in Church and Common-weak Amen Amen FINIS April 22. 1641. Imprimatur THO. WYKES Errata p. stands for page l. stands for line of that page m. stands for margen l. stands for lim of that margen p. 4. m. l. 12. read 230. for 203. m. l. 17. read 276. for 297. p. 5. l. 3. read beretofore for therefore p. 17. l. 17. read conscerators for consecration m. l. 14. read 1605. for 1604. p. 23. l. 15. read most for must l. 24. read place it l. 28. read apply it p. 29. l. 17. read power is p. 30. l. 4. blot out to wit to be Lords and Piers of Parliament and to possesse and enjoy lands and tenements of value correspondent l. 20. read conjunction divisim p. 32. m. l. 7. read and 10. unto 8. l. 10. read Luke 9. 1. to 10. p. 33. m. l. 13. read Act. 6. 1. to 7. l. 34. put in the margen 1 Tim 1. 20. Tim. 4. 14. Mat. 14.20 Marc. 12.42 Mat. 3.10 Sec ndum Vulgatem translationem Rom 9.1 1 Cor. 11.31 Gal. 1 20.1 Tim. 2.7 1 Tim. 4.1.2 Article 23. R. B. pa. 206. Article 36. R. B. pa 346. Pag. 209. 210. Pag. 346. Pag 347. (a) Coneil Parisi 3 bin Tom. 2. pag. 207. col 2. nu 8 B. Synod 7. Act. 8. can. 3. Bin Tom. 3 part 1. sect 1 pag. 701. E. F. Synod 8. cap. 22. Bin Tom. 3 part 1 Scot 2 p. 647. col 1.