2. Because since their Ordination, God hath sealed the truth of their Ministry (as hath been said) by his blessing upon it. If they be Antichristian Ministers, how is your conversion Christian?
3. Because they were ordained by Bishops, not as Lord Bishops, or as a superiour Order by divine Right above a Presbyter; but as they were Presbyters. For the understanding of which, you must know,
1. That by Scripture, a Bishop and Presbyter is all one, as appears by Act. 10.27, 28. Tit. 1.5, 6, 7, 8. Phil. 1.1. 1 Tim. 3.1, 2, &c. 1 Pet. 5.1, 2. and by what is said by the Authors quoted in the [180]Margent.
2. That the Lordly Dignities of Bishops were meer civill additaments annexed to their Bishopricks by Kingly favour.
3. That this Opinion, that Bishops are a [181]superiour Order of Ministry, by Divine Right above a Presbyter, is a late upstart Opinion, contrary to antiquity, as appears by the Authors quoted in the Margent.
4. That the Laws of this Realm do account nothing divine in a Bishop, but his being a Presbyter; and therefore the Parliament in their Ordinance for Ordination, tels us, That they did ordain as Presbyters, not as Bishops, much lesse as Lord Bishops.
As for their usurpation of the sole power of Jurisdiction, together with their Lordly Titles & Dignities, and Dependances, we have renounced them in our Solemn League and Covenant: But we never did, nor never shall renounce them as Presbyters, which by the consent of all sides, are by Divine Right.
We shall add one thing more,
4. That Ministers do not receive their Ministry from the People, or Bishops, but immediatly from Jesus Christ: For they are Ministers and Embassadors of Christ, not of the People: Indeed they are Embassadors for the good of the People, but not Embassadors of the People: All that the people or Bishop doth, is but to choose and ordain a man; but it is Christ that gives him his power and authority; As when a wife chooseth a husband, and a Town a Mayor; the Town doth not give the Mayor, nor the wife the husband, the power they have; but the Laws of God, the one and of Man, the other: So it is here, It is Christ that gives the Office, and the Call to the Ministry; They are his Servants, and in his Name execute their function. It is he that fits them with ability for their work; the people they consent, and the Bishop as a Presbyter, with other Presbyters, ordain him; which though it had many Corruptions mingled with it, when the Bishop was in all his pomp and Lordliness, yet for the substance of it, it was lawful & warrantable, and therefore cannot without sin be renounced and abjured.
3. In the third place we exhort you to consider, whether since you have forsaken our Congregations, you have not fallen into such strange opinions, and those of so high a nature, as that if any man should have told you seven years ago, that you would have one time or another fall into them, you would have said to him, as Hazael did to the Prophet; Am I a dog, that I should do this? Who would ever have thought, that you that did once sigh, mourn, and bitterly complain, That a Chappell was permitted to the Queen to hear Masse in, should now plead for a toleration of Popery, and all manner of Errours and Heresies? That you that did once flock to our Churches as Doves to the windows, should now not only forsake ours, but all Churches of whatever constitution; That you that did once so much prize Christ, and his holy Scriptures, should now (some of you at least) deny the Divinity of Christ, and his holy Scriptures? But this is no great wonder, for the Apostle hath foretold it, [182]That evill men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived; and that they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a Canker, &c. Errour is of an incroaching nature; as the little Theef openeth the door oftentimes to the great Theef so a little errour paves a cause-way to a greater: The Popish superstition at first grew secretly, the tares were hidden under the corn; but in a little while the tares grew up, so as no corn could be seen: Images, at first were brought into the Church only for an historicall use; afterwards, to stir up devotion, at last, they came to be worshipped: Let the Serpent but winde in his head, & he will quickly bring in his whole body: Your first errour was in separating from our Churches, from which Christ doth not separate. Here the Serpent got in his head, & no wonder his whole body followed; he that saith yea to the Devil in a little, shall not say nay when he please: He that tumbleth down the Hill of Error, will never leave tumbling, till he comes to the bottome. First you deny our Ministers to be true Ministers, and our Ordinances to be true Ordinances; and then God, as a just Judge, gives you over, in a little time, to deny all Ministers and Ordinances, and then to be above all Ministers and Ordinances; and at last, to be above Christ himself, and not to stand in need of his mediation to God the Father. First you deny Baptisme of Infants, and then after, Baptisme of water: In a word, First you run away from us, and then for the most part turn Independents, then Antinomians, then Anabaptists then Arminians, then some of you Socinians, Antiscripturists, Anti-Trinitarians, still waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, & in the conclusion, meer Atheists.