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Show 384 Pm.4. OF THE KINGDOME Chap.47a Part. 4. 0F D .4 R [(NE S S E. Chi-47- ly, the Bifhop of Rome, in regard or‘ the Imperiall City3 took But the Em erours,and other Chriflian Soveraigns, under whofe Governmentt efe Errours, and the like encroachments of Ecclefia- upon him an Authority (partly by the wills ot‘rhe Emperours them- fiiques upon their Office, at firit crept in , to, the difiurbance of felves,and by the title of‘i'omifcx Max/mm , and at m1 when the their pofleflions, and of the tranquillity of their Subjects . though they itEered the fame for want of forefight of the Sequel, and of all Other Bifhops ofthe Empire: Which was the third and hit knot, Emperours were grown weak, by the priviledges of St. Peter) over infight into the defigns of their Teachers, may neverthelefle bee e- and the whole San/Je/ir and Conflmr'fzon of the I'ontificiall fieemed acceffarics to their own, and the Publique dammage: For Power. withouttheir Authority there could at firfi no feditious Doé‘rrinc have been publiquely preached. Ifay they might have hindred the Andtherefore the Army/fr, OrRefolutitm is by the fame way; but beginneth with the knot that was lafttyed; as wee may {ee'in the diflolution of the pratterpoliticall Church Governmentin En- gland. Firfl, the Power of the Popes was diflolved totally by Qteen Elizabeth; and the Billiops, who before cxerciitd their Functions in Right of. the Pope, did afterwards cxcrcife the lame fame in the beginning: But whenthe people were once pollefled by thofe fpirituall men, there was no humane remedy to be applyed , that any man couldinvent: And for the remedies that Godlhould provide, who never faileth in his good time to dei'troy all the Ma- chinations of men againft the Truth, wee are to attend his good pleafure, that fufiereth many times the profperity of his enemies, together with their ambition, to grow to fuch a height, as the violence thereof openeth the eyes, which the warinefle of their predeceffours had before fealed up, and makes men by too much grafping let goe in Right of the (been and her Succefl'ours, though by retaining the pltraie or lure Dzvma,they were thought to demand it by imme‘ all, as Peters net was broken, by the firuggling of too great a almofi at the lame time , the Power was taken alto from the Presby- multitude of FlfllCS; whereas the Impatience of thofe, that (trive to refifi fuch encroachment, beFore their Subjects eyes were opened, did but encreaie the power they refified. I doe not therefore blame the Emperour Frederick for holding the fiirrop to our countryman Po e Adrian.7 for fuch was the diipofition of his {ubjeEtSthemas diate Right from God: And {0 was untyed the firll knot. Al1 ter this, the Presbyterians lately in England obtained the putting down of Epii‘copacy: And to was the fecond knot diilolved: And terians : And f0 we are reduced to the lndependency of‘the Primitive Citrifiians to follow 1 Lilli, or Cephas, or Apollos, every man as he liketh belt : \Vhich, it. it be Without contention,.tnd without mea- ftzring the Doctrine of Chriit, by our :1fitftionttithe l'erlbn of his lMiniiter, (the htultwhichthe Apoille reprehendedinthe Corinthi- if iee had not done it, hee was not likelyto have fucceeded in the Empire: But_Iblame thofe, that in the beginning, when their power was entire , by fuffering {itch Doctrines to be forged inthe ans,) i5pcrhapsthc belt: Firil, became thcre ought to be no Power over the Conttiences of men, but ofthe Word it felte, working Faith in every one, not :tlii'ayes according tothe ptti'poie ot‘thent Univerfities of their own Dominions, have holden the Stirrop to allthe fucceeding Popes, whilefi they mounted intothe Thronesot that Plantand Water, but ot~ God himtelt‘, tlth givtth the lnr all Chriflian Soveraigns,to ride,and tire,both them,and their people, at their pleafure. But as the Inventions ofmen are woven, {o alfo are they ravelled out; the way isthe fame, but the orderis inverted: The web begins at the firfl Elements of Potver , which are W'iidonifiumili- ty, Sincerity,and other venues of the Apoflles , whom the peo- ple converted, obeyed, out of Reverence, not by Obligation: Their Confciences were free , and their Words and Ae‘tions tub- jeft to none but the Civill Power. Afterwards the Presbyters ,as the Flocks of Chrilt encreafed) afiembling to confider what tllcy {hould teach, and thereby obliging tlieniielt'es to teach nothing againfl the Decrees of their Afltrnblies, made it to be thought the people were thereby obliged to follow their Doftrine , and when they refuted, refuted to keep them company, (that was then create: and iccondly, becauie it is lml'ctllimdblc‘ in them , who teach there is {Lichdanger in every little Errotir, to require or 1|. man endized with Realonoh his own, toiollow the Realon of any other man, or of the molt voices or many othernien; _\Nhich is little better, then to venture his Salvation at erotic and pile. Nor oughtthole Teachers tobe diipleaied with this lofle or their anti- cnt Authority: Forthere is none lhoitltl know better then they, that power is prcl'eived by the fame Vertites by. which it is ac- quired; that is to lay, by .VViidome, IllLlllllllIy, Clettrneihe of Doctrine, and fincetity of Converlation; and not by top prefhon otthe Naturall Sciences, and oltlic Morality or Naturall Reafon; norbyobiture Language, nor by Arroganng to themfclves more Knowledge than they make appear; not by Pious Frauds, nor by inch othertaults, as tn~ the Podium or (1()(lS Church are not only luttlts, but alio icandalls, zipt [0- make called Excommunication,) not as being Infidels, but as being dit- men {tumble one time or other upon the iupprei'hon oi their Au- obedient: And this was the firft knot upon their Libtrtv. And the number of Presbyters encreafing , the Presbyters or the chit: thority. ‘ . '_ Companion But after this Dofirinc,th.tt the C/mre/I mm Mtlmml, 1/51/16 Ivmq» [by Papac; dome 0f God [llokE/l of m [/22 0/51.sz New Trflizmcnt , was received Wk ")5 City or Province, got themfelves an authority over the Pat-t)- chiall Presbyters, and appropriated to [llClllhclVCS the names 05 Buliops: And this was-a lecond knot on Chrifiian Liberty. Lit» ,y 1' «if in [hC'VVOrldg the ambition, and canvaitng for the Offices Elm Armammf belong thereunto, and eipccmlly for that great Office of being Mm. C C c 3 Chm-{ti |