SECT. XI.

Concerning Church-Government.

A SMALL Difficulty may be here objected to us, which arises from the Form of Church-Government and Discipline, commonly called Ecclesiastical: For no Society, such as a Church is, can subsist without Order, and therefore there must be some Form of Government appointed. Nor is it debated amongst Christians, what Form of Government was appointed by the Apostles; for that seems preferable to all others, which was appointed from the Beginning; and therefore of two Churches, in which the Gospel is taught with equal Purity and Sincerity in all other Respects, that is to be preferred, in which the Form of Government is Apostolical; though - Government without the Thing itself, that is the Gospel, is only the faint Shadow of a Church.

THERE are now two Forms of Government, one of which is that wherein the Church acts under one Bishop, who alone has the Right of ordaining Presbytery, or the inferior Order of the Gospel Ministers; the other is that, where the Church is governed by an Equality of Presbyters, joined with some Lay-persons of Prudence and Honesty. They who without Prejudice have read over the most ancient Christian Writers that now remain, (a) very well know, that the former Manner of Discipline, which is called Episcopal, such as that in the South Part of Great Britain, prevailed every where in the Age immediately after the Apostles whence we may collect that it is of the Apostolical

() Very well know, &c.] See my Ecclesiastical History, Century I. to the Year LII, 6. and LXVIII. 8, and the following ones. Le Clerc, Institution.

Institution. The other, which they call Presbyterian, was instituted in many Places of France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland, by those who in the Sixteenth Century made a Separation from the Church of Rome.

THEY who read with Attention the Histories of that Century, are fully satisfied that this latter Form of Government was introduced for this Reason only, because the Bishops would not allow to them, who contended that the Doctrine and Manners of Christians stood in Need of necessary Amendment, that those Things should be reformed, which they complained were corrupted. Otherwise, if the Bishops every where at that Time, had been willing to do of their own Accord, what was not long after done in England; that Government had prevailed even to this Day, amongst all those who separated from the Romish Church; and the numberless Calamities which happened, when all Things were disturbed and confounded, had then been prevented. For, if we would judge of the Matter truly, there was no other Reason for changing the Government but this, that whilst the ancient Government remained, nothing could be procured, however just in itself. Therefore the Presbyterian Form is appointed in many Places; which after it was once done, was so much for the Interest of all them, who presided in the State-Affairs in those Places, and is so at this Time, not to have it changed, that it must of Necessity continue; unless any one had rather, upon that Account, that all the Dominions in which it prevails, should be put into the most dangerous Disorders; which prudent Men will never allow, nor is it to be wished. The Form of Government was appointed of old, to preserve the Christian Doctrine, and not to disturb the Commonwealth, which can scarce happen without endangering the Religion itself. WHERE

WHEREFORE prudent Men, though they above all Things wish for the Apostolical Form of Church-Government, and that it might be every where alike; yet they think Things had better be left in the State in which they now are, than venture the Hazards which always attend the Attempt of new Things. In the mean Time, they that are wise, will by no Means hate, reproach, or condemn one another upon that Account, as the most violent Men are apt to do; as if eternal Salvation depended upon either Form, which does not seem to be taught any where in the Apostolick Writings, nor can it be gathered from the Nature of the Christian Religion.

SECT. XII.

The ancient Church-Government was highly esteemed by Grotius, without condemning others.

WHOEVER reads over the Works of that great Man Hugo Grotius, and examines into his Doctrine and Practice, will find, that he had entertained in his Mind (a) that Form of sound Words, the Truth of which he has proved; nor did he esteem any Thing else as true Religion; but after he had diligently read the Writings of Christian Antiquity, and understood that the ori

(a) That Form of sound IVords, &c.] See amongst other Things, The Institution of Children that are baptized, which the Author himself translated out of Dutch Verse into Latin, in his Theological Works, Tom. IV. Page 629. And in his latter Works, he often affirms, that whatever is necessary to Salvation is plainly enough contained in the New Testament. See his Annotations on Cassander's Consultation, towards the End, where he speaks of the Sufficiency and Plainness of the Scripture. Which being granted, it is manifest from thence, that the Sum of the Christian Religion, as it was before produced by s, may be collected thence by any one,

ginal Form was that of Episcopacy, he highly approved of it in the Manner it is maintained in England, as appears (a) from his own express Words, which we have wrote down at the Bottom of the Page.

THEREFORE it is not to be doubted but if it had been in his Power, and he had not been so vehemently tossed to and fro by Adversity, and exasperated and vexed by the Baseness and Reproachfulness of his Enemies, at whose Hands he did not deserve it, he would have joined himself with those who maintained the ancient Form of Discipline, and required nothing further than what has been already said, the Truth of which he has proved excellently well; the arguments for which Practice appear to us to be so weighty, that we have thought good to add them to this little Treatise.

SECT. XIII.

An Exhortation to all Christians who differ from each other, not to require from one another any Points of Doctrine, but such as every one finds in the New Testament, and have always been believed.

SEEING these Things are so, we cannot but earnestly exhort all Christians who differ in Opi

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(a) From his own express Words, &c.] In his Annotations on the Consultation of Cassander, Acts xiv. Bishops are the "Heads of the Presbyters, and that Pre-eminence was foreshewn "in Peter, and was appointed by the Apostles wherever it could "be done, and approved by the Holy Ghost, in the Revela❝tions. Wherefore it was to be wished that that Superiority were appointed every where, &c." See also what follows concerning the Ecclesiastical Power, and the Discussion of Rivetus's Apology. Page 714. Col. 2. Other Things are also alledged in the Epistles added to this little Treatise.

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nions,

nions, to remember that That only is the true Sum and Substance of the Christian Religion) the Truth of which can be proved by the Arguments Grotius has alledged; and not those controverted Points which each Side deny, and which has been the Cause of so many Evils: Further, no one that reads over the New Testament with a religious Mind, and meditates upon it, can be persuaded that there is (a) any other Lawgiver but Christ, upon whose Law eternal Life depends; nor that any one who is so disposed, can or ought to persuade himself to admit of any Thing as necessary to Salvation, beside what is the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles; or to believe that to be true, which he thinks is contrary to it: Wherefore there is none more certain and present Remedy of their Differences than this; that Nothing be imposed upon Christians, but those Things which every one is fully satisfied in his own Mind are revealed; nor need we fear any Inconvenience from hence, since it is evident from the Experience of all Ages past from Christ to this Time, that the Sum of the Christian Religion before laid down, was never rejected by any. (b) If this one Thing only were

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(a) Any other Lawgiver but Christ, &c.] The Words of James, Chap. iv. 12. quoted in Section I. are very express in this Matter; where more is said relating thereto. Besides, the Thing itself speaks here; because amongst the different Sects of Christians, none of them believe their Adversaries' Authority.

(b) If this one Thing only, &c.] This was the Opinion of James I. King of Great Britain, if we may give Credit to Isaac Casaubon, who had these Words in his Answer to Cardinal Perron's Epistles, on the third Observation, Pag. 30. Edit. Lond. 1612. "It is most truly written, in the Explication "of those Things which are absolutely necessary, that it is "the King's Opinion that the Number of those Things which are absolutely necessary to Salvation is not great. Where"fore his Majesty thinks that there is no shorter Way to

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