An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II.…

If you say, What be those means? They are easily told you; but your little self-interests will not give you leave to think them tolerable. I shall tell you more particularly anon. I will now speak but of the generals.

Quest. 1. What if you would learn of the Holy Ghost to impose no other than Necessary things? Act. 15. What if you had the patience to endure the Apostolic Primitive way of Discipline and Worship, and suffered men to go to Heaven in the same way as the Apostles and Christians of those times did? What if you kept all that Wisdom to your selves, in which you excel the Apostles, and put no more upon the Churches than they did? Would the inconveniences of this weigh down the mischiefs which are now upon the Churches throughout the world by the contrary course? Let not your passion make you run away with a conceit of an intolerable conclusion, and say I would reduce you to the Primitive poverty or persecution: No, I talk not of matters extrinsic to Discipline and Worship (for faith we will yet suppose we are agreed in), I suppose you think not that Poverty or Riches are parts of the instituted worship of God. I am as far from expecting that you should consent to be as poor and persecuted as the Apostles, as that you should be as good as the Apostles. Those that you have to do with, believe that the Scripture hath more exactly determined how God will be worshipped, than h•w much a year shall be the Revenues of a Bishop. We meddle not with your Lands or Lordships (whatever our own opinion be of such matters): Though we are ambitious of your higher and wealthier condition, yet we neither envy it, nor think it our duty to diminish your wealth. But the question is, If you let men worship God, without any more yokes or burdens than Christ and his Apostles laid upon the Churches, what harm would it do? Did they then want any needful uniformity? Did they not pray decently without a Surplice? Did they not baptize decently without the Cross? If you say, that they had their rites of decency then, though not the same that we have now: I answer, Impose no other than they imposed: Leave those free which they left free. Though you think your own to be better than theirs, so do not all Christians: If it be mens infirmity to think that the Scripture-rites are better than yours, yet what harm will it do you to bear with that infirmity? What if you required no more Oaths of obedience to the Bishops, than the Apostles required to themselves, or to any Pastors of the Church?