Five disputations of church-government and worship

§. 11. And 2. I have in the former Disputation proved by many Reasons, that it was not the mind of the Apostles themselves, that the Parochial or Congregational Churches which they planted, should be changed into another sort of Churches. Nor is there any reason for it, but against it, in the prosperity of the Church, and piety of Magistrates. For 1. Pious Magistrates should help to keep, and not to break Apostolical institutions. 2. And pious Magistrates should further the good of the Church, and not hurt it to advance ambitious m•n.

§. 12. For 3. Ministers are for the Churches, and therefore no change must be made on such pretences that is against the good of the Churches. If every Parish or Congregation then, were meet to have a Bishop and Presbytery of their own, why shall the Church be now so abused, as that a whole County shall have but one Bishop and his Presbytery? If every Hospital or Town had a Physician with his Apothecaries and Mates, in your Fathers days, would you be their benefactors, by procuring that ⟨p. 318⟩[…] ⟨p. 319⟩[…] ⟨p. 320⟩all the County shall have but one Physician with his Apothecaries? Or if every School had a Schoolmaster in your Forefathers days, will you say, there shall be but one in your days, in a whole County? Do you thus think to honour Physicians and Schoolmasters, to the ruin of the people and the Schools? So do you in your advancement of Bishops. Upon my certain experience I dare affirm it, that every Parish of four or five thousand souls, yea of a thousand souls, hath need of such a Presbytery for their Oversight. And is not he that hath a County on his hands, like to do less for this Town or Parish, then if he had no more then this? If your Bees swarm, you will not keep them all still in an hive, nor think of enlarging the hive to that end: but you will help the swarm to an hive of their own. If your Children marry, you will rather settle them in Families of their own, then retain all them and all their Children in the Family with your selves. So if a Bishop of one Church should Convert all the Country, he should rather settle them in several Churches, proportionable to their numbers and distances, then to call them all his own Church.