bought and begun with fervitude and forfwearing. Howfoever thus church-outed by the prelates, hence may appear the right I have to meddle in these matters, as before the neceffity and conftraint appeared.

CHAP. I.

That prelaty oppofeth the reafon and end of the gospel three ways; and firft, in her outward form.

AFTER this digreffion, it would remain that I should

fingle out fome other reason, which might undertake for prelaty to be a fit and lawful church-government; but finding none of like validity with these that have already fped according to their fortune, I fhall add one reafon why it is not to be thought a church-government at all, but a church-tyranny, and is at hoftile terms with the end and reafon of Chrift's evangelic miniftry. Albeit I muft confefs to be half in doubt whether I should bring it forth or no, it being fo contrary to the eye of the world, and the world fo potent in moft men's hearts, that I fhall endanger either not to be regarded, or not to be underfood; for who is there almoft that measures wifdom by fimplicity, ftrength by fuffering, dignity by lowlinefs? Who is there that counts it firft to be laft, fomething to be nothing, and reckons himself of great command in that he is a fervant? Yet God, when he meant to fubdue the world and Hell at once, part of that to falvation, and this wholly to perdition, made choice of no other weapons, or auxiliaries than these, whether to fave or to deftroy. It had been a fmall mastery for him to have drawn out his legions into array, and flanked them with his thunder; therefore he fent foolishness to confute wisdom, weakness to bind ftrength, defpifednefs to vanquish pride: and this is the great mystery of the gofpel made good in Chrift himself, who, as he teftifies, came not to be miniftered to, but to minifter; and must be fulfilled in all his minifters till his fecond coming. To go against these principles St. Paul fo feared, that if he fhould but affect the wisdom of words in his preaching, he thought it would be laid to his charge,

charge, that he had made the crofs of Chrift to be of none effect. Whether, then, prelaty do not make of none effect the crofs of Chrift, by the principles it hath fo contrary to thefe, nullifying the power and end of the gofpel, it fhall not want due proof, if it want not due belief. Neither fhall I ftand to trifle with one that would tell me of quiddities and formalities, whether prelaty or prelateity, in abftract notion be this or that; it fuffices me that I find it in his skin, so I find it infeparable, or not oftener otherwife than a phoenix hath been feen; although I perfuade me, that whatever faultinefs was but fuperficial to prelaty at the beginning, is now, by the juft judgment of God, long fince branded and inworn into the very effence thereof. First, therefore, if to do the work of the gospel, Christ our Lord took upon him the form of a servant; how can his fervant in this miniftry take upon him the form of a lord? I know Bilfon hath deciphered us all the gallantries of fignore and monfignore, and monfieur, as circumftantially as any punctualift of Caftile, Naples, or Fountain-Bleau, could have done: but this must not fo compliment us out of our right minds, as to be to learn that the form of a fervant was a mean, laborious, and vulgar life, apteft to teach; which form Chrift thought fitteft, that he might bring about his will according to his own principles, choofing the meaner things of this world, that he might put under the high. Now, whether the pompous garb, the lordly life, the wealth, the haughty diftance of prelaty, be thofe meaner things of the world, whereby God in them would manage the mystery of his gofpel, be it the verdict of common fenfe. For Chrift faith in St. John, "The fervant is not greater than his lord, nor he that is fent, greater than he that fent him ;" and adds, "If ye know thefe things, happy are ye if ye do them." Then let the prelates well advite, if they neither know, nor do thefe things, or if they know, and yet do them not, wherein their happinets confifts. And thus is the gofpel fruftrated by the lordly form of prelaty.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

That the ceremonious doctrine of prelaty opposeth the reafon and end of the gospel.

THAT which next declares the heavenly power, and reveals the deep myftery of the gofpel, is the pure fimplicity of doctrine, accounted the foolishness of this world, yet croffing and confounding the pride and wifdom of the flesh. And wherein confifts this fleshly wisdom and pride? In being altogether ignorant of God and his worship? No furely, for men are naturally afhamed of that. Where then? It confifts in a bold prefumption of ordering the worship and fervice of God after man's own will in traditions and ceremonies. Now if the pride and wifdom of the flesh were to be defeated and confounded, no doubt but in that very point wherein it was proudeft, and thought itself wifeft, that fo the victory of the gofpel might be the more illuftrious. But our prelates, inftead of expreffing the fpritual power of their ministry, by warring against this chief bulwark and strong hold of the fieth, have entered into faft league with the principal enemy against whom they were fent, and turned the ftrength of flefhly pride and wisdom against the pure fimplicity of faving truth. Firft, miftrufting to find the authority of their order in the immediate inflitution of Chrift, or his apoftles, by the clear evidence of scripture, they fly to the carnal supportment of tradition; when we appeal to the Bible, they to the unwieldy volumes of tradition: and do not fhame to reject the ordinance of him that is eternal, for the perverfe iniquity of fixteen hundred years; choofing rather to think truth itself a liar, than that fixteen ages fhould be taxed with an errour; not confidering the general apoftafy that was foretold, and the church's flight into the wilderness. Nor is this enough; instead of showing the reafon of their lowly condition from divine example and command, they seek to prove their high preeminence from human consent and authority. But let them chant while they will of prerogatives,

rogatives, we shall tell them of fcripture; of cuftom, we of fcripture; of acts and ftatutes, ftill of fcripture; till the quick and piercing word enter to the dividing of their fouls, and the mighty weakness of the gospel throw down the weak mightiness of man's reafoning. Now for their demeanour within the church, how have they disfigured and defaced that more than angelic brightness, the unclouded ferenity of chriftian religion, with the dark overcafting of fuperftitious copes and flaminical veftures, wearing on their backs, and I abhor to think, perhaps in fome worse place, the inexpreffible image of God the Father? Tell me, ye priefts, wherefore this gold, wherefore thefe robes and furplices over the gofpel? Is our religion guilty of the firft trefpafs, and hath need of clothing to cover her nakedness? What does this elfe but caft an ignominy upon the perfection of Chrift's miniftry, by fecking to adorn it with that which was the poor remedy of our fhame? Believe it, wondrous doctors, all corporeal resemblances of inward holiness and beauty are now paft; he that will clothe the gospel now, intimates plainly, that the gospel is naked, uncomely, that I may not fay reproachful. Do not, ye church-mafkers, while Chrift is clothing upon our barrennefs with his righteous garment to make us acceptable in his Father's fight; do not, as ye do, cover and hide his righteous verity with the polluted clothing of your ceremonics, to make it feem more decent in your own eyes. "How beautiful," faith Isaiah, "are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publifheth falvation !" Are the feet fo beautiful, and is the very bringing of these tidings fo decent of itself? What new decency can then be added to this by your fpinftry? Ye think by these gaudy glifterings to ftir up the devotion of the rude multitude; ye think fo, because ye forfake the heavenly teaching of St. Paul for the hellish fophiftry of papifm. If the multitude be rude, the lips of the preacher muft give knowledge, and not ceremonies. And although fome chriftians be newborn babes comparatively to fome that are ftronger, yet in refpect of ceremony, which is but a rudiment of the law, the weakest chriftian hath thrown off the robes of his minority, and is a perfect man, as to legal rites. What children's food there is in the gospel,

we

we know to be no other than the "fincerity of the word, that they may grow thereby." But is here the utmost of your outbraving the fervice of God? No. Ye have been bold, not to fet your threshold by his threshold, or your pofts by his pofts; but your facrament, your fign, call it what you will, by his facrament, baptizing the chriftian infant with a folemn fprinkle, and unbaptizing for your own part with a prophane and impious forefinger: as if when ye had laid the purifying element upon his forehead, ye meant to cancel and crofs it out again with a character not of God's bidding. O but the innocence of these ceremonies! O rather the fottish abfurdity of this excufe. What could be more innocent than the wafhing of a cup, a glafs, or hands, before meat, and that under the law when fo many wafhings were commanded, and by long tradition? yet our Saviour detefted their cuftoms, though never fo feeming harmless, and charges them feverely, that they had tranfgreffed the commandments of God by their traditions, and worshipped him in in vain. How much more then must these, and much groffer ceremonies now in force, delude the end of Chrift's coming in the fleth against the flesh, and ftifle the fincerity of our new covenant, which hath bound us to forfake all carnal pride and wisdom, especially in matters of religion? Thus we fee again how prelaty, failing in oppofition to the main end and power of the gospel, doth not join in that myfterious work of Chrift, by lowlinefs to confound height, by fimplicity of doctrine the wifdom of the world, but contrariwife hath made itself high in the world. and the flesh, to vanquish things by the world accounted low, and made itfelf wife in tradition and fleshly ceremony, to confound the purity of doctrine which is the wifdom of God.

CHA P. III.

That prelatical jurifdiction oppofeth the reafon and end of the Gospel and of State.

THE HE third and laft confideration remains, whether the prelates in their function do work according to the gofpel, practising to fubdue the mighty things of this world

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