A treatise of liturgies, power of the keys, and of matter of the visible…A treatise of liturgies, power of the keyes, and of matter of the visible…

Thirdly, here is a great difference, for civill Societies are left to civill prudence, and may give up themselves to many forms of government: but Churches are bound to use and maintain such order of government as Christ hath set in the church, and not to give it up to many, no more then to one: If testimonies were needful, we might produce Zanchi, Zwinglius, Parker, Baines, and others, who are fully with us in this doctrine of a particular church; yea, Dr. Downam himself confesseth; that the most of the churches in the time of the Apostle Paul did not exceed the proportion of a populous congregation; and this confession puts us in mind of a witty passage of his Refuter, or his Epistoler, who against the Bishops maintains the doctrine of congregational churches with us; with whose expressions, (for the recreation of our selves and the Reader) we will conclude: The Papist, (saith he) he tells us (just as the Organs go at Rome) that the extent of a Bishops jurisdiction is not limited but by the Popes appointment, his power of it self indifferently reaching over all the world. Our Prelatists would persuade us (to the tune of Canterbury) that neither church nor Bishop hath his bounds determined by the Pope, nor yet by Christ in the Scriptures, but left to the pleasure of Princes, to be cast into one mould with the Civill State. Now the plain Christian finding nothing but humane uncertainties in either of these devises, be contenteth himself with plain song, and knowing that Christ hath appointed Christians to ⟨p. 111⟩gather themselves into such Societies as may assemble themselves together for the worship of God, and that unto such he hath given their peculiar Pastors; he, I say, in his simplicity calleth▪ these Assemblies, the Churches of Christ, and these Pastors, his Bishops.

Thirdly, here is a great difference, for civill Societies are left to civill prudence, and may give up themselves to many forms of government: but Churches are bound to use and maintain such order of government as Christ hath set in the church, and not to give it up to many, no more then to one: If testimonies were needfull, we might produce Zanchi, Zwinglius, Parker, Baines, and others, who are fully with us in this doctrine of a particular church; yea, Dr. Downam himself confesseth; that the most of the churches in the time of the Apostle Paul did not exceed the proportion of a populous congregation; and this confession puts us in minde of a witty passage of his Refuter, or his Epistoler, who against the Bishops maintains the doctrine of congregationall churches with us; with whose expressions, (for the recreation of our selves and the Reader) we will conclude: The Papist, (saith he) he tels us (just as the Organs goe at Rome) that the extent of a Bishops jurisdiction is not limited but by the Popes appointment, his power of it self indifferently reaching over all the world. Our Prelatists would perswade us (to the tune of Canterbury) that neither church nor Bishop hath his bounds determined by the Pope, nor yet by Christ in the Scriptures, but left to the pleasure of Princes, to be cast into one mould with the Civill State. Now the plain Christian finding nothing but humane uncertainties in either of these devises, be contenteth himself with plain song, and knowing that Christ hath appointed Christians to