Five disputations of church-government and worship

§. 28. Object. 8. Judge now by the effects: The Episcopacy which you blame, did keep up Order and Unity in the Church: It kept under those weeds of heresy and error that since sprung up: We had then no Quakers, nor Seekers, nor such other Sects as now abound: This swarm of Errors shows which Government is best.

§. 28. Object. 8. Iudge now by the effects: The Episcopacy which you blame, did keep up Order and Vnity in the Church: It kept under those weeds of heresie and error that since sprung up: We had then no Quakers, nor Seekers, nor such other Sects as now abound: This swarm of Errors shews which Government is best.

§. 29. Answ. This is a gross fallacy, à non causa pro causa: to which I return you my answer in these seven considerations. 1. You tell us of the good that you think you did: but you tell us not of the hurt. I hope I love Divisions or Heresies as little as ever a Bishop in England: and yet I must profess that I had rather an hundred times, have things continue as they are with all our swarms of heresies, then to be restored to their ancient pass. Our loss i• as great as Josephs in being removed from the Prison to Pharaohs ungodly family: I mean in spirituals (of seculars anon.) I know not of an Anabaptist, Separatist, Quaker or any other Sectary in the Town that I live in, for all this noise; unless you will take a few Infidels for Sectaries, or a few ignorant Papists, or those of your own way. But on the other side, I hope there are many hundreds that truly fear God, that formerly were drowned in ignorance and ungodliness. The families that were wont to curse and swear and rail at Godliness, do now worship God, and set up holy instructions, and cast out sin: and this is our change: And in some measure, I have reason to believe that it is so in other places also.

§. 29. Answ. This is a gross fallacy, à non causa pro causa: to which I return you my answer in these seven considerations. 1. You tell us of the good that you think you did: but you tell us not of the hurt. I hope I love Divisions or Heresies as little as ever a Bishop in England: and yet I must profess that I had rather an hundred times, have things continue as they are with all our swarms of heresies, then to be restored to their ancient pass. Our loss i as great as Iosephs in being removed from the Prison to Pharaohs ungodly family: I mean in spirituals (of seculars anon.) I know not of an Anabaptist, Separatist, Quaker or any other Sectary in the Town that I live in, for all this noise; unless you will take a few Infidels for Sectaries, or a few ignorant Papists, or those of your own way. But on the other side, I hope there are many hundreds that truly fear God, that formerly were drowned in ignorance and ungodliness. The families that were wont to curse and swear and rail at Godliness, do now worship God, and set up holy instructions, and cast out sin: and this is our change: And in some measure, I have reason to believe that it is so in other places also.