Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

1. The carnal and aspiring part of the Clergy, do very ordinarily, under the equivocal names of Bishops, confound the Primitive Episcopacy with the Diocesan tyranny before described: And they make the ignorant believe, that all that is said in Church-Writers for Episcopacy, is said for their Diocesan Species: And while they put down an hundred or a thousand Bishops and Churches of the Primitive Species, they make men believe that it is they that are for the old Episcopacy, and we that are against it, and that it is we and not they that are against the Church: while we are submissive to them as Arch-bishops, if they would but leave Parishes to be Churches (or Great Towns formerly called Cities at least) and make the Discipline of all Churches but a possible practicable thing.

1. The carnal and aspiring part of the Clergy, do very ordinarily, under the equivocal names of Bishops, confound the Primitive Episcopacy with the Diocesane tyranny before described: And they make the ignorant believe, that all that is said in Church-Writers for Episcopacy, is said for their Diocesane Species: And while they put down an hundred or a thousand Bishops and Churches of the Primitive Species, they make men believe that it is they that are for the old Episcopacy, and we that are against it, and that it is we and not they that are against the Church: while we are submissive to them as Arch-bishops, if they would but leave Parishes to be Churches (or Great Towns formerly called Cities at least) and make the Discipline of all Churches but a possible practicable thing.

§. 67. II. And to promote their ends, as these men are for the largest Dioceses and turning a thousand Churches into one only, so they are commonly for violent Administration; ruling by constraint, and either usurping the power of the sword themselves, or persuading and urging the Magistrate to punish all that obey not their needless impositions, and reproaching or threatening (at least) the Magistrates that will not be their Executioners. And making themselves the Church snuffers, (or made without ⟨p. 26⟩the Churches consent) their Office is exercised in putting out the Lights, sometimes hundreds of faithful Ministers being silenced by their means in a little time. And they take the sword of Discipline or power of the Keys as the Church used it 300 years to be vain, unless prisons or mulcts enforce it. And to escape the Primitive poverty, they overthrow the Primitive Church, Form, and Discipline, and tell men, All this is for the Churches honour and peace.