The second part of The nonconformists plea for peace being an account of their…

2. No mortal man hath Natural capacity of such an office. An Universal Head must relate to the Church in all parts of the world, not only as it is now extended, but as it shall be at any time: and no man is able to do the work of a real Governor and Guide at the Antipodes, and in all Nations of the earth, even in the Kingdoms where Princes by wars or Infidelity deny access to foreigners, and subjects of their enemies: and where cases that require a speedy decision ⟨p. 135⟩may wait half an age till the parties are dead, before it can be dispatched at Rome, and witnesses cannot go so far: And when Church Government extends no farther, than to judge who shall be in the Ministry and in Church Communion, and to decide particular cases of faith and Life in order to this end, Princes and People are unhappy men, if they must be without Teachers or Sacraments, or without a certain Faith in Abyssinia, Armenia, at the Antipodes and in all the world, till they receive a just determination from Rome.

2. No mortal man hath Natural capacity of such an office. An Vniversal Head must relate to the Church in all parts of the world, not only as it is now extended, but as it shall be at any time: and no man is able to do the work of a real Governour and Guide at the Antipodes, and in all Nations of the earth, even in the Kingdoms where Princes by wars or Infidelity deny access to foreigners, and subjects of their enemies: and where cases that require a speedy decision ⟨p. 135⟩may wait half an age till the parties are dead, before it can be dispatcht at Rome, and witnesses cannot go so far: And when Church Government extends no farther, than to judge who shall be in the Ministry and in Church Communion, and to decide particular cases of faith and Life in order to this end, Princes and People are unhappy men, if they must be without Teachers or Sacraments, or without a certain Faith in Abassia, Armenia, at the Antipodes and in all the world, till they receive a just determination from Rome.

And if his universal Government be but to commit the Government of several Kingdoms of the world to several Generals under him, Princes and People that are at hand do better know how to choose meet men to Teach themselves, of those that are of their own language, and acquainted with the place, than a stranger at Rome can do, to whom at the death of every General some Countries may be many years in sending and receiving back a General, who it's two to one will not come alive to them, or it's three to one, will be one unfit for them: and in some Kingdoms cannot come at all, because of the interjacent countries of enemies: no nor messages pass, about the business. What work the Prelates of England (which is near) have formerly made by running to Rome, and waiting for decisions, is known by current history. None on earth will pretend to a sufficiency to govern all the world in things spiritual, any more than in Temporals, except it be a Proud Fool or a Proud deceiver, both which are the most unfit to be rulers of all the world.