Five disputations of church-government and worship

§. 43. Answ. That this is utterly untrue, I thus demonstrate. 1. When the Covenant was presented to the Assembly, with the bare name of [Prelacy] joined to Popery, many Grave and Reverend Divines desired that the word [Prelacy] might be explained, because it was not all Episcopacy that they were ⟨p. 331⟩against. And thereupon the following Concatenation in the parenthesis was given by way of explication: in these words, [that is, Church-government by Arch-bishops, Bishops, their Chancellors and Commissaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Arch-deacons, and all other Ecclesiastical Officers, depending on that Hierarchy.] By which it appeareth that it was only the English Hierarchy or frame, that was Covenanted against: and that which was then existent, that was taken down.

§. 43. Answ. That this is utterly untrue, I thus demonstrate. 1. When the Covenant was presented to the Assembly, with the bare name of [Prelacy] joyned to Popery, many Grave and Reverend Divines desired that the word [Prelacy] might be explained, because it was not all Episcopacy that they were ⟨p. 331⟩against. And thereupon the following Concatenation in the parenthesis was given by way of explication: in these words, [that is, Church-government by Arch-bishops, Bishops, their Chancellors and Commissaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Arch-deacons, and all other Ecclesiastical Officers, depending on that Hierarchy.] By which it appeareth that it was only the English Hierarchy or frame, that was Covenanted against: and that which was then existent, that was taken down.

§. 44. 2. When the house of Lords took the Covenant, Mr. Thomas Coleman that gave it them, did so explain it and profess, that it was not their intent to Covenant against all Episcopacy: and upon this explication it was taken: and certainly the Parliament were most capable of giving us the due sense of it; because it was they that did impose it.