by things weak, which St. Paul hath set forth to be the power and excellence of the gofpel; or whether in more likelihood they band themselves with the prevalent things of this world, to overrun the weak things which Chrift hath made choice to work by: and this will fooneft be difcerned by the courfe of their jurifdiction. But here again I find my thoughts almost in suspense betwixt yea and no, and am nigh turning mine eye which way I may best retire, and not proceed in this fubject, blaming the ardency of my mind that fixed me too attentively to come thus far. For truth, I know not how, hath this unhappiness fatal to her, ere fhe can come to the trial and infpection of the understanding; being to pafs through many little wards and limits of the feveral affections and defires the cannot fhift it, but muft put on fuch colours and attire, as those pathetic handmaids of the foul please to lead her in to their queen: and if the find so much favour with them, they let her pass in her own likeness; if not, they bring her into the prefence habited and coloured like a notorious falfehood. And contrary, when any falfehood comes that way, if they like the errand she brings, they are fo artful to counterfeit the very shape and visage of truth, that the understanding not being able to difcern the fucus which thefe inchantreffes with fuch cunning have laid upon the feature fometimes of truth, fometimes of falfehood interchangeably, fentences for the most part one for the other at the first blush, according to the fubtle impofture of these fenfual miftreffes, that keep the ports and paffages between her and the object. So that were it not for leaving imperfect that which is already faid, I should go near to relinquish that which is to follow. And because I fee that most men, as it happens in this world, either weakly or falfely principled, what through ignorance, and what through cuftom of licence, both in difcourfe and writing, by what hath been of late written in vulgar, have not feemed to attain the decifion of this point: I fhall likewise assay those wily arbitreffes who in moft men have, as was heard, the fole ufhering of truth and falfehood between the fenfe and the foul, with what loyalty they will ufe me in convoying this truth to my understanding; VOL. I.

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the rather for that by as much acquaintance as I can obtain with them, I do not find them engaged either one way or other. Concerning therefore ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, I find fill more controverfy, who fhould adminifter it; than diligent inquiry made to learn what it is: for had the pains been taken to fearch out that, it had been long ago enrolled to be nothing elfe but a pure tyrannical forgery of the prelates; and that jurisdictive power in the church there ought to be none at all. It cannot be conceived that what men now call jurifdiction in the church, should be other thing than a chriftian cenforship; and therefore it is moft commonly and truly named ecclefiaftical cenfure. Now if the roman cenfor, a civil function, to that severe affize of furveying and controlling the privateft and flyeft manners of all men and all degrees, had no jurifdiction, no courts of plea or inditement, no punitive force annexed; whether it were that to this manner of correction the intanglement of fuits was improper, or that the notice of thofe upright inquifitors extended to fuch the moft covert and fpiritous vices as would flip eafily between the wider and more material grasp of the law; or that it flood more with the majefty of that office to have no other fergeants or maces about them but those invifible ones of terrour and fhame: or, laftly, were it their fear, left the greatnefs of this authority and honour, armed with jurifdiction, might step with cafe into a tyranny: in all these refpects, with much more reafon undoubtedly ought the cenfure of the church be quite divefted and difentailed of all jurifdiction whatsoever. For if the courfe of judicature to a political cenforship feem either too tedious, or too contentious, much more may it to the difcipline of the church, whose definitive decrees are to be fpeedy, but the execution of rigour flow, contrary to what in legal proceedings is most ulual; and by how much the lefs contentious it is, by fo much will it be the more chriftian. And if the cenfor, in his moral epifcopy, being to judge moft in matters not answerable by writ or action, could not use an inftrument fo grofs and bodily as jurifdiction is, how can the minifter of the gofpel inanage the corpulent and fecular trial of bill and procefs in things merely fpiritual?

Or

Or could that roman office, without this juridical fword or faw, ftrike fuch a reverence of itself into the moft undaunted hearts, as with one fingle dash of ignominy to put all the fenate and knighthood of Rome into a tremble? Surely much rather might the heavenly miniftry of the evangel bind herself about with far more piercing beams of majesty and awe, by wanting the beggarly help of halings and amercements in the use of her powerful keys. For when the church without temporal fupport is able to do her great works upon the unforced obedience of men, it argues a divinity about her. But when she thinks to credit and better her fpiritual efficacy, and to win herself refpect and dread by ftrutting in the false vizard of worldly authority, it is evident that God is not there, but that her apoftolic virtue is departed from her, and hath left her key-cold; which the perceiving as in a decayed nature, feeks to the outward fomentations and chafings of worldly help, and external flourishes, to fetch, if it be poffible, fome motion into her extreme parts, or to hatch a counterfeit life with the crafty and artificial heat of jurisdiction. But it is obfervable, that so long as the church, in true imitation of Christ, can be content to ride upon an afs, carrying herself and her government along in a mean and fimple guife, fhe may be, as he is, a lion of the tribe of Judah; and in her humility all men with loud hofannas will confefs her greatnefs. But when defpifing the mighty operation of the Spirit by the weak things of this world, the thinks to make herself bigger and more. confiderable, by using the way of civil force and jurisdiction, as she fits upon this lion the changes into an afs, and instead of hofannas every man pelts her with stones and dirt. Laftly, if the wifdom of the Romans feared to commit jurifdiction to an office of fo high efteem and dread as was the cenfor's, we may fee what a folecifm in the art of policy it hath been, all this while through chriftendom to give jurisdiction to ecclefiaftical centure. For that ftrength, joined with religion, abuted and pretended to ambitious ends, muft of neceffity breed the heaviest and most quelling tyranny not only upon the necks, but even to the fouls of men: which if chriftian Rome had been fo cautelous to prevent in her church, as

pagan Rome was in her ftate, we had not had fuch a lamentable experience thereof as now we have from thence upon all chriftendom. For although I faid before that the church coveting to ride upon the lionly form of jurifdiction, makes a transformation of herself into an ass, and becomes defpicable, that is, to those whom God hath enlightened with true knowledge; but where they remain yet in the reliques of fuperftition, this is the extremity of their bondage and blindness, that while they think they do obeifance to the lordly vifion of a lion, they do it to an ass, that through the juft judgment of God is permitted to play the dragon among them becaufe of their wilful ftupidity. And let England here well rub her eyes, left by leaving jurifdiction and church-cenfure to the fame perfons, now that God hath been so long medicining her eyefight, fhe do not with her overpolitic fetches mar all, and bring herfelf back again to worship this afs beftriding a lion. Having hitherto explained, that to ecclefiaftical cenfure no jurifdictive power can be added, without a childish and dangerous overfight in policy, and a pernicious contradiction in evangelical difcipline, as anon more fully; it will be next to declare wherein the true reason and force of church-cenfure confifts, which by then it shall be laid open to the root; fo little is it that I fear left any crookedness, any wrinkle or fpot fhould be found in prefbyterian government, that if Bodin the famous French writer, though a papift, yet affirms that the commonwealth which maintains this difcipline will certainly flourish in virtue and piety; I dare affure myself, that every true proteftant will admire the integrity, the uprightness, the divine and gracious purposes thereof, and even for the reason of it fo coherent with the doctrine of the gofpel, befide the evidence of command in fcripture, will confefs it to be the only true church-government; and that contrary to the whole end and mystery of Chrift's coming in the flesh, a falfe appearance of the fame is exercifed by prelaty. But because fome count it rigorous, and that hereby men fhall be liable to a double punishment, I will begin fomewhat higher, and speak of punishment; which, as it is an evil, I efteem to be of two forts, or rather two degrees only, a reprobate

a reprobate confcience in this life, and Hell in the other world. Whatever elfe men call punishment or cenfure, is not properly an evil, fo it be not an illegal violence, but a faving medicine ordained of God both for the public and private good of man; who confifting of two parts, the inward and the outward, was by the eternal Providence left under two forts of cure, the church and the magiftrate. The magiftrate hath only to deal with the outward part, I mean not of the body alone, but of the mind in all her outward acts, which in fcripture is called the outward man. So that it would be helpful to us if we might borrow fuch authority as the rhetoricians by patent may give us, with a kind of promethean fkill to fhape and fashion this outward man into the fimilitude of a body, and fet him vifible before us; imagining the inner man only as the foul. Thus then the civil magiftrate looking only upon the outward man, (I fay as a magiftrate, for what he doth further, he doth it as a member of the church) if he find in his complexion, fkin, or outward temperature the figns and marks, or in his doings the effects of injuftice, rapine, luft, cruelty, or the like, fometimes he fhuts up as in frenetick or infectious diseases; or confines within doors, as in every fickly eftate. Sometimes he fhaves by penalty or mulct, or elfe to cool and take down thofe luxuriant humours which wealth and excess have caufed to abound. Otherwhiles he fears, he cauterizes, he scarifies, lets blood; and finally, for utmost remedy cuts off. The patients, which moft an end are brought into his hofpital, are fuch as are far gone, and befide themselves, (unless they be falfely accufed) fo that force is neceffary to tame and quiet them in their unruly fits, before they can be made capable of a more humane His general end is the outward peace and welfare of the commonwealth, and civil happiness in this life. His particular end in every man is, by the infliction of pain, damage, and difgrace, that the fenfes and common. perceivance might carry this meffage to the foul within, that it is neither easeful, profitable, nor praiseworthy in this life to do evil. Which muft needs tend to the good of man, whether he be to live or die; and be undoubtedly the first means to a natural man, especially an offender,

cure.

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