II. In my confutation of Mr. Dodwell, some may mistake me, as if I denied that our Religion had come down to us by a continued succession from the Apostles, or that the ministerial office in specie, or that the Universal Church had ever been without a true Ministry or Religion: I have proved where our Church was in all ages before Luther, in my second book against Johnson alias Terret: Nor do I say what I do, to avoid deriving our Ministerial succession from Rome: For History puts me out of doubt, that the multitude of uncapable Popes and Schisms will prove a far greater interruption of Canonical and Legitimate succession at Rome, than can be proved of England, and perhaps than hath happened to almost any other Church in the world. And I am fully satisfied that the present Church of England as National, deriveth its succession from the ancient British and Scottish Church, and not from Rome; and that Christianity was the Religion of England long before Gregory, or Augustine the Monks days; and that notwithstanding Gildas his smart reproofs, when the British and Scottish Clergy and people disclaimed all obedience to the Pope, and would not so much as eat or lodge in the same house with Gregory's Clergy, the persons were better, or at least their doctrine and Religion more sound, ⟨image 10⟩than that which Rome did afterwards obtrude. And as the blood of this nation though called English, will upon just consideration be found to be twenty, if not an hundred fold, more British than either Roman, Saxon or Norman, so the Ordination of the Bishops is derived so much more from the Britons and Scots than from Rome, as that Augustine the Monks successors were afterward almost quite extinct, only one Wini a Simonist being left in anno 668. the rest of the Bishops being all of British ordination: All which with much more of great importance is so fully proved (after Usher) by M. T. Jones of Oswestree late Chaplain to the Duke of York, in an excellent Historical Treatise hereof, called [Of the Heart and its right Sovereign] that I am sorry that book is no more commonly bought and read.
II. In my confutation of Mr. Dodwell, some may mistake me, as if I denied that our Religion had come down to us by a continued succession from the Apostles, or that the ministerial office in specie, or that the Vniversal Church had ever been without a true Ministry or Religion: I have proved where our Church was in all ages before Luther, in my second book against Johnson alias Terret: Nor do I say what I do, to avoid deriving our Ministerial succession from Rome: For History puts me out of doubt, that the multitude of uncapable Popes and Schisms will prove a far greater interruption of Canonical and Legitimate succession at Rome, than can be proved of England, and perhaps than hath happened to almost any other Church in the world. And I am fully satisfied that the present Church of England as National, deriveth its succession from the ancient Brittish and Scottish Church, and not from Rome; and that Christianity was the Religion of England long before Gregory, or Augustine the Monks days; and that notwithstanding Gildas his smart reproofs, when the Brittish and Scottish Clergy and people disclaimed all obedience to the Pope, and would not so much as eat or lodge in the same house with Gregory's Clergy, the persons were better, or at least their doctrine and Religion more sound, ⟨image 10⟩than that which Rome did afterwards obtrude. And as the blood of this nation though called English, will upon just consideration be found to be twenty, if not an hundred fold, more British than either Roman, Saxon or Norman, so the Ordination of the Bishops is derived so much more from the Brittains and Scots than from Rome, as that Augustine the Monks successours were afterward almost quite extinct, only one Wini a Simonist being left in anno 668. the rest of the Bishops being all of Brittish ordination: All which with much more of great importance is so fully proved (after Usher) by M. T. Jones of Oswestree late Chaplain to the Duke of York, in an excellent Historical Treatise hereof, called [Of the Heart and its right Soveraign] that I am sorry that book is no more commonly bought and read.
