PRELACY IS MISERY: OR, THE SUPPRESSING OF PRELATICAL GOVERNMENT and establishing of Provintiall, and national Sinods, is a hopeful means to make a flourishing Church, and happy Kingdom.  
Imprinted for a good intent, After Christmas before Lent: 1641.   

PRELACY IS MISERY.  Prelatical Government is the Church's Ruin and Misery. 
The Argument.  
The Argument. THat Government whereby Heresies, Prophanines, Idolatry, and Superstitions, hath great opprotunitie to creep into the Church ● is the Ruin and Misery of any Church, Nation, or Kingdom: But Prelatical Goververment gives great opportunity for Heresies, profaneness, Idolatry, and superstition to creep into the Church; Conclusion. therefore Prelatical government is the Church's Ruin and Misery.  
First, to prove that that Government whereby heresies, prophanennesse, Idolatry, & superstition, hath great opportunity to creep into the Church is the Ruin and Misery of the Church Nation, or Kingdom; The Prophet Isay saith The Ancient and Honourable man, he is the head and the Prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail: for the leaders of the people cause them to err, and they that are led by them are devoured, Jsay 9.15, 16. And Solomon saith, that justice exalteth a Nation, but sin is a shame to to the people, Prov. 14.34. And the Prophet Hosea saith, Hear the word of the Lord ye children of Israel, for the Lord hath a controversy with the Inhabitants of the land, because there is no Truth, nor Mercy, nor knowledge of God in the Land; by swearing, and lying, etc. Hosea 1.2. Therefore (saith the Lord) shalt thou fall in the day, and the Prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thee, verse 5. Therefore saith Constantine (writing to the Nicomedians) if saith he, 
Theodorus in his first book Chap. 19,  there be any Bishop which is inflamed to continue Heresies, his presumption shall presently be corrected.  
Secondly, to prove that Prelatical government gives so great an opportunity for Heresies, profaneness, Idolaty, and Superstitions to creep into Church, I lay down these two grounds. First in regard of the Prelates themselves. Secondly, in regard of the Church.  
1. In regard of themselves, whose calling is but an usurpation, and such as is no ways warrantable nor lawful, but contrary both to the laws of God, the pattern of the Apostles, the Primative Churches, and also the custom of our latter reformed Churches.  
It is an unbecoming thing for a Minister to be lifted up into places of worldly Honours and dignities, whose office it is in all humility to Preach the Gospel of Christ, and to set the Kingdom of Heaven as a mark before him, and not like those Lordly Bishops who whine after Lordships, and Earldoms, and Kingdoms, here on earth; which our Saviour jesus Christ forbiddeth, mark Saint Paul sets forth the true approved Ministers of God not to be such as lift themselves up as Lords; but such as like the faithful servants and Ministers of Christ, are faithful Preachers and disposers of his holy word, 1 Cor. 4.1.2. And let our Lordly Bishops plead for Episcopacy as much as they will. S. Gregory saith plainey, 
In his 4. 38 chap.  that he who shall have a guard of Priests to attend upon him is Antichrist.  
2. In regard of the Church, our Lordly Bishops being so willing to be taken from their calling of teaching, & instructing of their flocks; upon whose charge the cure of their souls doth lie: which made Saint Paul to call to mind that woe which lieth on those Ministers who forbear to Preach the Gospel, no he will not forbear to Preach in regard of that necessity which is laid upon them; no looking, and labouring for the things which are seen, but for the things which are not seen, 2 Cor. 14.18. What can we expect then, but that our Prelates will be ready to entertain any Heresy, profaneness, idolatry, or superstition, so they be established in their usurped Seas, or addeth profit to their estates and Earldoms: of whom Cornelius Brit●o●o saith, 
In the Chap. of Trident.  would God (saith he) they would not go wholly with general consent from religion to superstition; from Faith to Infidility, from God to perjury, for they all sought their own, and not for the things which pertain to jesus Christ.  
The Reason which Prelatical, Reason. or Lordly government of the Bishops, is the ruin and misery of the Church, is plain; because by their government Heresies, profaneness, Idolaty, and Superstition hath great means and opportunity to creep into the Church, and that I shall make plain to be true, as may appear by the woeful experience of the Churches under them.  
I. If the Bishop himself of any Diocese be infected with any Heresy, profaneness, Idolatry, or Superstition, to bind the consciences of men to men's traditions, to give liberty to profane the holy Sabbath: be given to bowings and superstitious ceremonies, to have Altars and Images in the Church, etc. What shall we think will be his dealing with those Churches within his Diocese? The holy people of the Lord see these things, and are grieved to see them, but they know not what course to take to reform them.  

1. If they complain at the Visitation, they do but like birds, run among limetwigges: and in stead of reforming the Church, hamper themselves into troubles.  
2. Secondly, if they complain to the Minister of the Parish, either he is one that will be ready to defend it, or if he be an honest Minister that would gladly see these things reform: yet he dares not speak for fear of suspension; or if he do complain, he is silenced, if not suspended Ipse facto; yea it may be, and lose his ears for his labour too.  
3. If they complain to the magistrate, he dares not meddle with it to go about any reformation, because he will say it belongs to the Church: Oh what a misery is this for any Church to be under such government where she is constrained thus to bewail her woeful misery and cannot be reform.   
II. Those Ministers who are under any Bishop's Diocese, have their mouths so stopped by their Lordly Prelate; that they dare not reprove any Heresy, Idolaty, or wickedness, which the Bishop doth either practice in himself, or favour in others.  
III. If any Heresy be in the Church, any Drunkard, Horemonger, or Papist that can but get into the Bishop's favour, either by bribes or friends, or any other way: then may such profane persons still abide, and go on from time to time in their filthiness without controlment: and thus the corrupting of one Lordly Prelate is the misery of all the other Churches under him.  
Can not (not only Lordly Bishops amongst the jews, and in Germany, Cullen, Mensae, with many others, but also) those of our own Nation be a testimony herein, under whose tyrannical Hierarchical government many faithful painful Ministers have been silenced, and punished, and some imprisoned, some suspended, others died in Prison, others having their members taken from them, etc. But Drunkards, Heretics, prophaners of Gods holy Sabbath; Idolaters, Adulterers, and the like such as these: not so much as once called to any account for these things? no, the puritanical Priests as they call them, they are the men they would root out, that so their kingdom of darkness might flourish; But the Lord saith by the Prophet Hosea, O ye Priests hear this (saith the Lord) and hearken, yea house of Israel, and give yeeare O house of the King, for Judgement is towards you, because you have been a snare on Mispah, and a net spread upon Tabor, Hosea 5.1. and such shares have the Prelates laid for the people of God; 
In his 119. Book.  these are they saith Saint Austin who with several burdens, do so oppress our Religion, (which God of his mercy would have to be free under few and manifest Sacraments of Divine Service) in so much that the state of the jews is more tolerable, for their burdens were under the law of God, but these burdens are under the devises and presumptions of men.  
Object. You will say it may be? how shall the Church then be governed? shall the Church be without government?  
Answ. No, the Church of God hath a governor, Jesus Christ the head of the Church? and under Christ; we have our gracious King, who is governor of all persons, and causes both Ecclesiastical, and seville next under Christ, within these his Dominions.  
Object. But what means may then be used for the discovery of Heresies, and the rooting out of Idolatry out of the Church: shall every Minister teach freely any thing, whatsoever entereth into his fancy, and shall their be no Church government from the Clergy at all?  
Answ. There is better means then to have it governed by Prelates, and that according both to the Primative Churches, and also to the best approved late reform Churches.  
I. For every flocke there may be chosen a Presbyter, as the truth is, the office of a Bishop is no more; this Presbyter or Bishop set over only one particular flock; being chosen with an unamimous consent of the people, after proof being made of him; and he placed there takes to himself the charge of the cure of those souls, and any Heresy, profaneness, or Idolatry, or any such like evils which he seethe to offer to creep into the Church, he may root it out and suppress it; and not be feared by any one particular Prelate ruling Lordly over him, but sincerely to serve the Lord Christ.  
II. Lest some corruption should be in the Presbitor, so that these evils are passed by, and are not reform, there may be a Provintiall Synod, to reform what the Presbitor either could not, or would not; unto which Synod may every Presbyter give an account conserning all matters committed to his chare; and that there they may be further treated on and examined amongst them altogether.  
III. There may be a Nationall Synod also kept at several times, as shall be thought meet for the public unity of the Church, and for the reforming of those evils and enconveniences which the Presbyter or Provintiall Synod shall escape.  
Let any man now consider if it be not more happy for the Church to have Sinods, then to be ruled by Prelates? and what happiness may come by the one, and what evil by the other.  
Many are the abuses in the Prelate's government. 

1. They would seclude the Nobles, the Gentry, and both the Houses of Parliament from having any right to meddle in Church matters.  
2. They Lordly exalt themselves above other Ministers, contrary to the command of Christ, and the Doctrine of the Apostles.  
3. Their Decrees tend to their own ends, and not to God's Glory.  
4. They have corrupted Courts.  
5. They neglect their Studies, and Preaching, to follow matters of State.  
6. They labour to compel men to swear rash and unlawful oaths.  
7. They live in the pomp and glory of the world.  
8. They labour to bring in Popish ceremonies into the Church.  
9 They make a gain of such things, as even by their usurped Hierarchy, they ought not to take money for; with many other abuses too tedious to recon up in so short a volume: all which might by Synods be prevented, there being no Lordly Bishops, save only the Presbitors themselves, being all equal.    
Calvin saith, 
On Epist. to Titus. In his instin.  that a Priest a and Bishop are all one; as saith Saint Hierom. Churches were before governed by common Counsels of Elders, afterwards the care was committed to one man appointed by men; so that the Bishops are above the Priests, rather by custom then by the truth of the Lords disposing, and they ought to govern the Church saith he in common together: this is the true and ancient custom of the Primative Church, and the choosing of a Bishop was no ways intended at the first for any Lordly Higher, archy as the Prelates now use it; whose pomp is grown to so great an height.  
An example of their pride we have in that Pope who set the Painter at work in his gallery to draw the pictures of Peter and Paul, who having painted their faces blushing red, the Pope coming in to see his work, and ask him if Peter and Paul had such red faces, because he had so painted them; no quoth he, but if they were here now, and did behold what a glorious rich and magnificent successor they have, they would blush as red as now you see these Pictures do, and his holiness was very well pleased with the Painter's conceit, to see himself a brave man● man then ever poor Peter and Paul were, whose successor he boasts himself to be, for what else but a sweet fable doth the Pope make of the Gospel as himself said, and surely we cannot think that Prelates who are the limbs of this great beasts, are of another spirit then athiestical, such as the head himself is of, and which he hath derived to his members.  
FINIS.