CONSIDERATIONS OF Present Use, Concerning the DANGER Resulting from the CHANGE OF OUR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT.  
LONDON, Printed by T. M. for Fin. Gardiner, at the Three Roses in Ludgate-Street. 1682.   

CONSIDERATIONS OF Present Use, CONCERNING The Danger Resulting from the CHANGE OF OUR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT.  
TO him that being satisfied in judgement of the lawfulness of Episcopal Government, doth yet conceive that the parting with it is no change of Religion, and consequently, that the standing for it at this time, when it is opposed, is but the preferring the interests of some inconsiderable men before the conveniences and common Wishes of all, I earnestly desire (in the Bowels of Compassion to my bleeding Country, and from a sincere Passionate wish that the cure of this dangerous wound may not be an imperfect cure) to present some few sad considerations, which I shall cast under two heads (proportionable to the two parts of the former ungrounded suggestion) the one, That parting with the present Government is no change of Religion; the other, That standing for it at this time, is the preferring the interests of some before the common wish of all, the peace of this Nation.  
Concerning the former, I offer to consideration, First, whether the Government of the Church be not a considerable part of Religion? That it is so, I shall make appear by these Reasons. 1. That Government is as necessary to the preservation of the Church as Preaching the Gospel was to the Plantation of it, and that therefore it was always the Apostles practice, as soon as ever they had converted a City or Province, or any considerable number of Men in it, to leave it in the hands of some faithful Persons, to dress, tend, and water, what they had thus planted; and therefore though it were possible for a Christian to be deprived of this benefit, and yet to remain Christian (as to want some limbs, or to abound to monstrosity in others, is yet reconcileable with life and being of a Man) to retain the doctrine of Christianity without any Government, to be a Christian in the Wall or in the Wilderness, a Stylita or Anachorite Christian (in which case there is no doubt the use of the very Sacraments, Instituted by Christ himself, would not be necessary to Christianity) yet would it be little less than fury for any to design or hope the prosperity or duration of a Church, or visible society of such Christians, without this grand necessary (though not of single being, yet) of mutual preservation, this principle not of essence but of continuance, without which (it is the learned Breerewood's observation from St. Augustine) that the preservation of a Church was once by experience found to be an impossible thing, no other engine being able to repair the Want or Supply the place of that.  
A second reason may be drawn from the concurring pleas of all the most distant pretenders for the several Forms of Government in the Church, as well those that have espoused the Papal, the Presbyterial, the Independent, as those which are for the present English Form by the King and his Bishops, etc. all vehemently contending for the necessity of that Government, which they affect in the Church, and none so calm or modest in their claims, as the Assertors of the English Prelacy; which moderation or want of heat, is sure one reason that so many Sons of this Church are now tempted to think Government so unconsiderable a thing, and so extrinsical to Christianity; though this thought thus grounded, be a double injustice, 1. In suspecting that truth, for want of asserting, which is therefore not so vehemently asserted, because it is supposed truth, 2. In encouraging heat and violence of disputes (the greatest plague in a Church) by showing them that the Eagerest pretenders shall be most heeded, and that meekness shall not inherit the earth, though both David and Christ promised it should. A third argument may be had from the judgement of our State, which hath thought fit to make the Government of the Church matter of one of the Articles of our Religion, and so to join in honour the care of it with the care of the Doctrine, and to require as strict a subscription to the established Government, as to the rest of the 39 heads of Doctrine, by which you may evidently see, that to change the Government is to change the Doctrine, and where Doctrine and Government both are changed, can we possibly think the Religion to be the same? I shall add no more Proofs of this, because I conceive them unnecessary; the contrary misapprehension being, as I suppose, not grounded by Arguments, but of its own accord arising from an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an experiment, which many men, especially persons of quality, think they have made, that in their whole lives they never reaped any benefit from Government, never received any accession or increase to their spiritual weal from that, as from the Doctrine and Liturgy of the Church, they acknowledge to have done. To this ground of misprision, as being perhaps the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cause of the whole mistake, it will not be amiss to make some answer.  
1. That many benefits we receive from Government, which we do not visibly discern, and that therefore, when we discern ourselves to have received some growth, and cannot but know that it was wrought by means, we should rather confess our want of sense or gratitude to the true means, than imagine those not to have been the means, only because we have not that sense of them.  
2. That those means which have been more visible to us, the dispensation of the Word and Sacraments, have been reached out to us by the hand of Government, to which therefore we owe our acknowledgements in the second place for our preservation and growth, as to the hand of supreme previdence for our being or life spiritual.  
3. That if the benefits of Government have not been really very discernible and notable to all, that is not yet in any justice to be imputed to any defect that way in Government itself, to any barrenness in the nature or particular temper of it, but to some default (which will deserve observing and reforming) in the Persons, either of the Rulers, or of those which are under rule, or of a third sort whose duty it is to be the Rulers Perspectives and Otacousticks, to present to their knowledge, the wants of inferiors, which till they are known, are not likely to be repaired. The defaults in each of these severals are, or may be so many, and so obnoxious to common observation, that it will be much more reasonable for each to resolve to amend his part for the future, and so make it a business of Reformation, than to charge the defaults of Persons to the defaming of Government, and so to undervalue and scorn what our sins first, than our fancies have defamed.  
The comfort is, that it hath been the clemency as well as the sloth or cowardice of Governors, which have deprived men of the great fruits of Government; and if it may be agreed that it is very expedient, and will be taken in good part, that Governors hereafter be more severe, as well as more diligent, more courageous, as well as more laborious, in using the Weapons of their warfare, to cut off or to cure, without any respect of persons, wheresoever there is need of them; I shall hope this objection will then be throughly Answered, if as yet it be not.  
A second consideration apportioned to the former head will be this, whether (supposing Government of the Church to be a considerable part of Religion) the change of it from Established Episcopacy to any other (namely to that of Prebytery by many, without any Superior over them, or as that is opposite to Episcopacy) be not a sin against Religion? That it is, or will be so, I shall endeavour to convince the gainsayer by these steps or degrees of proof, which though perhaps not each single, yet all being put together will, I believe, where prejudice doth not hinder, be sufficient to do it.  
1. Because this Government by Bishops, superior to Presbyters, is of Apostolical Institution. But this being an affirmation, as demonstrable by Ecclesiastical Records, as any thing can be, or as the Canon of Scripture which we receive, is demonstrated to be the Canon of Scripture; and in regard it hath by others been sufficiently proved, I shall therefore wholly spare the repeating of that trouble, and add unto it. 2. That it hath the example, though not the distinct precept of Christ, who with his twelve Apostles, and the many other Disciples in time of his residence upon Earth, superior one to the other, are the copy, of which the Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons in the following Age, were a transcript, who are therefore by St. Ignatius, S. John's Contemporary, allowed to receive honour, the Bishops as Christ, the Presbyters as the Apostles, the Deacons as the Seventy. 3. That as far as concerns superiority of one order to the other (which is sufficient to eject the Presbytery which supposes an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or equality of all) it is Authorized by sacred Scripture-practise, where it appears, 
Acts 1.  that when Judas fell from his orb of motion, the dignity of being one of the Twelve, is by the direction of the Spirit, and by lot bestowed upon Mathias, who, though before a Disciple of Christ, was not till then assumed to that dignity. Fourthly, that supposing it to be in this manner Apostolical, there is little colour of reason to doubt, but that the preserving of it is of as great moment as many Doctrines of Christianity, not only because many doctrines were not so explicitly delivered by Christ, but that they needed farther explicating by the Apostles, (and are therefore by the Church grounded not in any words of the Gospel, but in the Epistles of the Apostles) but also because it was in God's providence thought fit, that Government should be settled not by Christ personally, but by the Apostles, that is mediately by Christ; as doctrine was by Christ immediately. Christ in his life time gives them the ground of a Church, divine truth, the word of his Father, the acknowledgement of which is the rock on which his Church is built, on this the Apostles are to build, and gather members, and to settle the whole edifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ordinately, and that they may not err in that work, the Holy Ghost is promised to descend upon them, and Christ by that power of his to be with them in eminent manner, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end of the world. And Government being necessary to the settling, was undoubtedly thus referred and left to them by CHRIST, and so their Authority in instituting that which they instituted, as evidently deduced from CHRIST, as their power of Preaching what they preached, or baptising whom they baptised. And having gone thus far, I cannot but resume my consideration thus far made more considerable, and appeal to any sober conscience, whether it be not some irreligion thus to displace or remove that which the Apostles (to whom only by Christ it was entrusted) according to Christ's own Sampler and Scripture-grounds, thought fit to settle in the Church, supposing it to be a matter of Religion which is spoken of, as before we proved; nay, whether if an Angel from Heaven were to be anathematised for teaching any other Doctrine than what one Apostle had taught, it would not be matter of just terror to any that should have any part in the guilt of instituting any other Government than that which the Apostles had instituted, especially when the acts of Counsels tell us, that what S. Paul denounces against the heterodox Angel, the Church did practise against Aerius, anathematised him for impugning this Government, which now we speak of. And if still the Authority of all this be blemished by this one exception, that this institution of the Apostles is not affirmed in Scripture, or there commanded to posterity to continue, and retain for ever.  
To this I answer, by saying that which may be a fourth Argument to prove the irreligiousness of such change, That there is as much or more to be said (in both those respects, both for mention of this institution in Scripture, and for Apostolical precept for continuing of it) for this Government, as for some other things whose change would be acknowledged very irreligious. I will only instance in one, the Institution of the Lords day, of which there is nothing can be said to the setting up the Authority and immutability of it, which will not be said of Episcopacy. A ground of it there was in nature, some Time to be set a part to the special public service of God; and the like ground there is in nature for this, that some Persons should be designed to, and rewarded for the special public service of God. A pattern of that there was among the Jews, one day in the seven designed for God's Quotum or portion; the like pattern there is among the Jews for this; a Government by High-Priests, and Levites. That was an Institution not of Christ in his life time immediately, but of his Apostles, after his departure invested with such power; the like Institution there is of this by the same Apostles after Christ's Ascension, directed and assisted by the holy Ghost. The occasion of pitching on the first day of the week was a solemn action of Christ his Resurrection on that day; the occasion of this, the several distinct orders in the Church in Christ's time, Christ's Apostles, Disciples, and the manifest superiority of him before all of them (who affirms himself their Lord, even when he speaks of his office Ministerial, his coming to Minister to them) and of the Apostles before the Disciples, as even now was showed. The mention of that was found once in the Revelation distinctly, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords day, and twice or thrice in equipollent terms, the first day of the week; and the mention of Episcopacy is as clear, the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, etc. in the Revelation (which hath been cleared by irrefragable evidence to belong to this matter) and the Ruling Elder in S. Paul, that must have double honour, and Titus left in Crete to set in order the things that were wanting, and to ordain Elders in every Church; and many other more clear mentions of the serveral titles and offices of Bishop, Preshyter, and Deacon, than there is of the name and duties of the Lords day. The obscure mentions of that in Scripture were explained in the writings and Stories of the first age of the Church, particularly in the Epistiles of Ignatius, and the obscurities of the Sacred Texts concerning Episcopacy, are as clearly explicated and unfolded by the same Ignatius even in every one of those Epistles of his which Vedelius (as great an enemy of this Order as Geneva hath produced any) after his fiery trial of that Author hath acknowledged to be his. The use of that continued from the Apostles time (though not universally till the Jewish Sabbath was fairly laid a sleep) till these days in the universal Church, and all particular Churches, that we read of; and the like use and practise of this continued universal without any exception from the Apostles time, till this day in the universal Church, as that signifies the Eastern and the Western Church, and in each particular Church, till about this last Century, and in this of ours from the plantation of the Gospel till this day. These are paralless enough to even the balance (and I profess to know no one more which might weigh it down on that side) and to make it now seasonable to demand, whether it would not be thought an act contrary to Religion (whether that signifies Christian Piety, or meekness, or awe, to all that is Sacred) for any particular National Church or part thereof, without any more warrant than is now offered for this present change, to remove the service of God from the Lords day to any other day in the week, (which sure is as small a differnce, as that betwixt Presbyterial and Episcopal Government can by any be conceived to be) or instead of our first day of the week to set apart either an eight, or a sixth day, and so to change that Apostolical institution. If that seem strange, or be startled at, as unfit to be ventured on, or yielded to, I shall desire the same plea may be entered for this, and that conscience may be secured, that either both are lawful, or that the difference is clear, and the advantage on the Lords days side, or that it may be resolved that this is unlawful as well as that.  
A fifth Argument will be this, That the making (or yielding to) this change, will be a scandal (very worthy to be considered) in them that so yield, toward those which oppose this Government as unlawful; for this yielding will be an appearing acknowledgement, that their contrary Pretensions are true, and so a confirming them in their error (which is no light one, but the same for which Aerius was, and any other apposer would certainly have been anathematised, and turned out of the Catholic Church for an Heretic,) which is one special kind of Scandalising or occasioning the fall of our Brethren, and withal a nourishing them in their uncharitable opinion not only of us, but of the ancient Fathers of the Church, (who were all Antichristian if this be so) which is another causing my Brother to offend: nay a kind of countenancing that unchristian (am sure unprotestant) Doctrine, of the lawfulness of taking up Arms, against lawful Superiors and Established Laws, and propagating our opinions in Religion by that means, which perchance some may be betrayed to by this example, others brought to believe consentaneous to Protestant Doctrine, if they which are thus guilty be thus gratified; which as it were a change in our Doctrine, if it were really acknowledged, so is it, in this respect, another act of Scandal, if it thus aprear to be acknowledged, and that which would make any Heathen Prince unwilling to embrace our Religion, if this disloyal persuasion were conceived to be a part of it.  
A sixth Argument (which to me is of no small force) I will yet but name, and refer it to others to consider of, That no man is a Priest, or lawfully ordained Minister of any Christian Church, but he that is called and sent by God; that there is now no way in this Kingdom, to have that calling or mission duly but from Bishops, who are the only persons who have their power of Ordaining others, given to them in their assumption to that Order by those who had it before, and can drive it from the Apostles, who had it immediately from Heaven: and whatsoever other power a Priest or Preshyter may be thought or said to have common with a Bishop, it is yet the constant judgement of the universal Church for 1500, years, that this of Ordination is not compatible to one or more bare Presbyters without a Bishop, and it will be easy to satisfy any reasonable man in whatsoever may be produced of sound, or probability to the contrary: and therefore if any Office, or Order, or Ministry in the Church be considerable, this which is the standing wellhead and spring of all the other, must be thought so also.  
Having premised these Arguments of so much weight, sufficient to support the burden designed to them, I shall add, ex abundante some inferior ones (though they amount not so far, as alone of themselves to conclude it direct irreligion, yet to add to the former heap some aggravations. As,  
1. That to yield to this change, is to disclaim those blessed means of God's providence which brought us to our Baptism, to all our spiritual life and growth that we have attained to, and that is a great ingratitude to that Government.  
2. It is an act of pride and insolency, to prefer any scheme of humane and modern invention before that which the Apostles, the Primitive, and (for so many years) the Universal Church had authorized, and therefore I could almost adventure to believe, that the framers of the Covenant had obliged themselves secretly to maintain Episcopacy by putting in those words, [the best Reformed Churches] that I might escape thinking them so insolent as to prefer any Churches before those, which they cannot but know have used Episcopacy.  
3. It jam a great tempting of God's providence, in not being contented with that Form which hath prospered so happily with us, and the whole Christian World, (though subject (as all that is humane, or mixed with flesh, is even the very grace of God in us) to be abused) any putting it to the adventure, whatsoever inconveniences the next may be subject to. Of the inconveniences that Presbytery doth infallibly bring along with it, and the unreconcilableness of them with Monarchical Government in the State, sufficient evidences have been given; and if there were no other but this, that the endeavouring to bring it in at this time hath brought this tempest and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon this Kingdom, and that this hath been but the general consequent of that Government, wheresoever it hath but begun to heave, casting out Peace, and obedience to lawful Authority together, it would well deserve to have this mark of reprobation or nonelection set upon it, if it were but for this, that the prosperity of such attempts should not encourage others to the like. This and the like inconveniences are of such weight, that for men to be willing to exchange the certain benefits of the one, for the uncertain advantages and strongly probable calamities of the other is a sin, that may provoke and tempt God to punish them yet further with greater and unexpected curses, and therefore may deserve in ' its place to be considered.  
4. It is an act of infidelity and practical Atheism for those especially who being convinced with the former reasons to acknowledge any irreligion or sin in such change) to sacrifice any thing to our own present conveniences, to make any change in sacred matters merely out of intuition of our own secular advantages; Atheism, in thinking that God cannot as easily blast that convenience so acquired, as those many which came more directly to our hands; and infidelity, or distrust, in thinking that God will not in his time give those conveniences and advantages (if they be such indeed) by means perfectly lawful, which now we covet by unlawful. To which might be added the wants and omissions of those duties of confession of Christ, in not defending and standing to those truths which we are convinced to be such, in time of their being oppugned and persecuted; self-denial, in not depositing our own carnal secular aims and interests, and of taking up the Cross, in not suffering willingly and cheerfully when it lies in our way to the preforming of any act of obedence to Christ. But I would not enlarge to these, but ●nly conclude this proof with a fifth difficulty of separating sin from changes, when they are great, and in matters of weight: It is the wise man's advice that occasioned this observation, My Son, fear thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them which are given to changes: The changes are sure changes in Government, and those are named indefinitely, without any restraint, and the very meddling with them that are inclined to such, is opposed both to Piety and Loyalty, Fearing of God and the King.  
I have done with the considerations proportioned to the first part of the suggestion. I proceed to the view of the second part of it, and there the consideration shall be only this, whether,  
The change of this Government, be not a common interest of all, as well as of those who are now Clergymen. That it is so, may appear probable, because the revenue or honours which belong to them in Government are not the sole, or main part of Govenrment; there is a weight and office, which our forefathers thought worthy to be encouraged and rewarded with those payments, and if any man shall think them ill proportioned, I shall not doubt to tell him S. Chrisostomes' judgement, that the burden of a Bishop was formidable, even to an Angel to undergo, and if the corruptions of latter times be affirmed to have changed that state of things, I answer: that the restoring Episcopacy to its due burden as well as reputation, were a care worthy of reformers, and it is so far from my desire that any such care should be spared, that it is now my public solemn Petition both to God and Man, that the power of the keys, and the exercise of that power, the due use of confirmation, and (previous to that) examination, and trial of youth, a strict search into the manners and tempers, and sufficiencies of those that are to be admitted into holy Orders, and to be licentiate for public Preachers, the visitation of each Parish in each Diocese, and the exercise of Church-discipline upon all offenders; together with painful, mature and sober Preaching and Catechising, studies of all kinds, and parts of Theological Learning, Languages, Controversies, Writings of the Schools and Casuists, etc. be so far taken into consideration by our Lawmakers and so far considered in the collating of Church-preferments and dignities, so much of Duty required of Clergymen, and so little left arbitrary or at large, that every Church- preferment in this Kingdom may have such a due burden annexed to it, that no ignorant person should be able, no lazy or luxurious person willing or forward to undergo it. And if this might be thus designed, I should then resolve, that the direct contrary to the forementioned suggestions would be truth, that the settling and continuing of this present Government would prove the common interest of all, and only the burden of those few that have those painful offices assigned them; and lest any may think this word a boast (which I can safely venture with the world at this time, and not have reason to fear a surprisal, or being taken at my word) I shall venture another offer in the name of my brothers of the Clergy? (not that I have took their particular Votes, but that I persuade myself so far of their Piety.) That rather than the Glory should thus depart from Israel, by the Philistines taking the Ark of the Lord, laying waist this flourishing Church of ours, or transforming it into a new guise, every one single of us, that have any possessions or titles worthy any man's envy or rapine, and so are thought now by our own interests to have been bribed or feed Advocates in this cause, may forthwith be deprived of all that part of the Revenues of the Church wherein we are legally invested; and he that shall not cheerfully resign his part in the present prosperity of the Church, on the mere contemplation and intuition of the benefit that may now, and after his life redound to others, let him have the guilt of Achans wedge laid on him, and the charge of being disturber of the State. I hope we have learned to want as well as to abound and to trust God (that can feed the young Ravens when the old have exposed them) for the feeding of us, and our families, though all our present means of doing it were taken from us. If this may serve turn to satisfy the thirst of those that gape, and the suspicions of those that look unkindly on us, we offer to free you from all blame of Sacrilege, or oppression, or injustice (from one of which, no other means imaginable can free a change of Government by our own voluntary Session or resignation, as far as our personal interests reach: and shall think the Peace of this State, and continued prosperity of this Church, a most glorious purchase, most cheaply bought, if it be had upon such terms as these. And if the Function itself, with the necessary adjuncts to it, be not swept a way in the calamity, we shall be perfectly pleased whatsoever befall our Persons, and desire, that trial may be made of the Ingenuity of Clergymen, whether we have not thus far profited under God's rod, as to be willing to yield to any possible proposition (which will bring no guilt of sin upon our consciences) towards the averting the judgements of Heaven, which are now (I wish I might say for our sins only) most sadly multiplied upon this Land.  
FINIS.