A treatise of episcopacy confuting by Scripture, reason, and the churches testimony that sort…

And either our Justices are bound (besides what now they do) to labour as much to bring some to Repentance, and such other work, as the Pastors are bound to do, or not: If not, it will not follow that as large a Circuit may be Governed by one Pastor as by one Justice: If yea, then he doth but condemn the Justices for unfaithfulness; which will not prove, that a Pastor must be as bad.

And either our Justices are bound (besides what now they doe) to labour as much to bring some to Repentance, and such other work, as the Pastors are bound to do, or not: If not, it will not follow that as large a Circuit may be Governed by one Pastor as by one Justice: If yea, then he doth but condemne the Justices for unfaithfulness; which will not prove, that a Pastor must be as bad.

2. And as to his appeal to the discipline of the Ancients; I leave the Reader to the deceit of this mans arguings, 1. If he cannot find it fully proved in this Book, that the Churches of the ancient Bishops were not so big as our greatest Parishes, as to the number of Souls, much less as our Dioceses. 2. And if in my abstract of Church-History of Bishops and Counsels, I have not fully proved, that Discipline was neglected corrupted or overthrown dy degrees as Bishops-Churches overswelled. When we read such doleful complaints in History, Fathers, Counsels and their Canons of the corruption of the Churches, is this the true use to be made of all, that we must be like them, and not blame them, lest we open the nakedness of our Fathers? 3. And if men can make themselves willingly so blind, as by a story that the Fathers did such things among People and circumstances which we know not, to renounce common experience that it is not now any where done, nor can possibly be done; If men can be so ignorant what our Parishes and Dioceses are, and what a Bishop and Chancellor do and can do, Let such err, for I am unable to cure them, any more than if they were confident, that my Lord Major can Govern all the Families of London as their Masters, by stewards, without Family-Masters, or that one Physician, or one Tutor, could serve instead of many for the City.

2. And as to his appeal to the discipline of the Ancients; I leave the Reader to the deceit of this mans arguings, 1. If he cannot find it fully proved in this Book, that the Churches of the ancient Bishops were not so big as our greatest Parishes, as to the number of Souls, much less as our Diocesses. 2. And if in my abstruct of Church-History of Bishops and Counsels, I have not fully proved, that Discipline was neglected corrupted or overthrown dy degrees as Bishops-Churches overswelled. When we read such doleful complaints in History, Fathers, Counsels and their Canons of the corruption of the Churches, is this the true use to be made of all, that we must be like them, and not blame them, lest we open the nakedness of our Fathers? 3. And if men can make themselves willingly so blind, as by a story that the Fathers did such things among People and circumstances which we know not, to renounce common experience that it is not now any where done, nor can possibly be done; If men can be so ignorant what our Parishes and Diocesses are, and what a Bishop and Chancellor do and can do, Let such err, for I am unable to cure them, any more than if they were confident, that my Lord Major can Govern all the Families of London as their Masters, by stewards, without Family-Masters, or that one Physitian, or one Tutor, could serve instead of many for the City.