This Pofition is deriv'd from the Community, and that only by way of a fiduciary Truft; fo that it is habitually and radically ftill in the People, and the King hath no greater Portion or Proportion than he hath by the first popular fundamental Conftitution: And in cafe of Deficiency, the collective Body may supply in Church or State the Defects of his Government. For want of good Adminiftration, the King is cenfurable; for enormous Errors he is depofable, and they may difinherit his Pofterity. XI. That a defenfive War is lawful against a bad King, or a weak King feduced by malignant Counsel. XII. They may oppofe and refift all his Officers and Commiffioners by force and violence, if they come to execute his illegal Commands. And if he will be fo obftinate, that he will come in Arms against thefe good Chriftians, they refift not his Authority, but his Will; not his Office, but his Perfon. * As good as Rebels and Traitors. Befides, their Practice upon these grounds, is to bring all Cafes, all Caufes under their Cognition and Judgment, fub formalitate fcandali; by which the King is rob'd of his Sacred Prerogative, the Judges of their Authority, and all Subjects of their Right and Quiet. The reft of their extravagant Maxims, moft repugnant to Monarchy, and the Peace of Government, are reduceable to thofe Heads, which are full of Poison, and contain in them the Spawn of Treafon and Rebellion. God preferve all good Men from fwallowing this Poifon, and fave his Church from this Presbyterian Scourge; which Government is fo inconfiftent with Monarchy, that it is not only deftructive of the Regal, but of all Governments whatsoever. If once it fhould be eftablish'd here (which the God of Might and Mercy forbid) then I would fend a Farewel to Religion, to Peace, and the Subject's Liberty, which cannot ftand with the factious Difcords of a Tyrannical Independent Presbytery. POSTSCRIPT. HEREAS the Proctors and Factors for a Presby loud Clamours and Affertions, That their Model is agreeable to the moft and beft Reformed Churches; it is evident, by the most approv'd Cofmographers, and others, who follow Truth, not Parties, that the major part of the Reformed Churches in Chriftendom do ftill retain Bishops, to bridle the Infolencies of their inferior Presbyters, and to direct them in the Discharge of their feveral Functions: Who, without the Guidance and Command of wife and grave Overseers, would fall (as they do now) into foul and horrid Schifms; which would grow into Herefies, and fuch grofs Opinions, as now begin to fpread in London, and other adjacent Coun tries. The Reformed Churches that ftill retain Bishops, are, befides the Eaftern and Western Churches, 1. All in the Dutchies of Saxony, Brunswick, and Lunenburg. 2. All in the Dutchies of Megaloburg and Wirtemburg. 3. All of the Churches within the Countries of the Marquifates of Brandenburg and Baden. 4. The Churches in the Earldoms of Hemeberg, Lemings, Mansfield, Stalberg, Rhenifterne, Swartzenberg, Hanau, Oetingh, Clich, and Leonftine. 5. All in the Baronies of Leniferg, Schenburg, and Wildenfield. Whereunto may be added, all the Churches in at leaft thirty free Cities more, many of whofe Territories are as ample as Geneva; none of thefe have receiv'd the Presbyterian Difcipline. To all these we might likewife add the Remainder of the Waldenfes and Albigenfes in Piedmont, and the Parts adjoining; or of the Taborites in Bohemia: All which, with the forenam'd, together with the Lutheran Churches in Poland, Denmark, and Sweden, are a fufficient Evidence to evince this Truth against the Smellymnians; that they, who having taken the late Covenant (a great Snare to tender Consciences) think themselves oblig'd to deftroy Epifcopacy, endeavour a Reformation neither agreeable to the Word of God, nor according to the Example of the beft Reformed Churches. I do appeal to Calvin himself, and Beza, to be Judges in this cafe, cafe. You may read at large the Opinion of the former, in his Book de Neceffitate Reformanda Ecclefia; and of the latter, in his Book de Grad. Minifter. Evangel. C. 18. Sect. 3. In both which, the Presbyterians may clearly fee, that their Champions, on whom they fo much rely for their Authority, were no Enemies to Moderated Epifcopacy, but only to the Ro mish Hierarchy. I pray God open the Peoples Hearts, and fo enlighten their Understandings, that they may fee their Errors, and abhor their Seducers. Phenir Phenix XXII. Brevis Difquifitio: Or, a brief Inquiry touching a better way than is commonly made use of, to refute Papifts, and reduce Proteftants to Certainty and Unity in Religion. Suppos'd to be written by Mr. John Hales of Eaton. T Printed in the Year 1653. To the Chriftian Reader. AHOV haft here prefented to thee, Chriftian Reader, a notable fmart piece, little in Bulk, but not in Virtue, which if thou shalt thorowly peruse and digeft, and upon occafion reduce to practice the grounds laid down therein, thou wilt find them to ftand thee in more stead for refuting Papists, than all that is faid in divers huge and tedious Volumes written against them. For proof whereof I might alledg a certain Countryman of our own, who arming bimfelf himself with thefe Principles, did, in a Conflict of his with a, most acute Adverfary, give Popery a mortal Wound, the Cure whereof hath fince been earnestly attempted, but in vain. Nevertheless there will not be wanting fome, and they fuch as profefs themselves great Zealots in the Protestant Caufe, who in likelihood will stomach at the Publication of this little Treatife, because Reafon is therein (and that not without evident neceffity) much cry'd up. My Defire therefore is, that fuch Perfons would but confider what the holy Scripture it felf faith on this behalf, namely, how Paul, Rom. 12. 1. calleth the Service which Chriftians are to exhibit unto God, a Rational, or Reafonable Service. And Peter, 1 Ep. 2. 2. ftileth the Word of the Gospel which he preach'd, fincere rational Milk (for fo the Original bath it, as any one who is skill'd in that Tongue, and looketh into the Greek Context, may perceive.) And, Chap. 3. 15. he faith, Be ready always to make an Apology unto every one that asketh you a Reafon concerning the Hope that is in you, with Meekness and Fear. Which Paffage clearly intimateth, that as there is no Incongruity for others to require a Reason of our Hope in Chrift; fo we Chriftians are, above all other Profeffors whatsoever, oblig'd to be very Rational: For to make an Apology or Defence in the behalf of fo abstruse and fublime a Doctrine as ours is, requireth a more than ordinary Improvement of Reason. This being fo, it may seem strange why Jo great a number even of Proteftant Minifters fhould make Reafon a common Theme to disclaim against, giving to it, without warrant of Scripture, the name of Corrupt Reafon, and Carnal Reason, and other the like Elogys. But the Truth is, they themselves hold many abfurd, ridiculous and unreasonable Opinions, and fo know right well, that if Men once begin to make use of their Reason, and bring the Dorines that are commonly taught to the Touchstone of the Scripture, explain'd and manag'd in a rational way, their Tenets and Reputation with the People will foon be laid in the Duft. For the prevention whereof they in their Pulpits perpetually cry out against Reason, and I would they did not against moral Honesty too; of which two precious and profitable things there is so great a scarcity, that we may justly impute the Mferys, under which the Chriftian World hath a long time groan'd, to the want of them. Wherefore let fuch Minifters henceforward either leave off clamouring against Reason, or no more open their Mouths against Papifts and their Opinion about Tranfubftantiation. For whosoever shall fift the Controversy between Papifts and Protefants concerning it, fhall find that the principal, if not only ground why we reject it, is because it is repugnant to Reafon. But if Tranfubftantiation is to be difclaim'd because contrary to Reason, why fhall not all other unreasonable Doctrines upon the fame account be explo ded, especially feeing there is fcarce any one of them can plead fo plaufible a colour of Scripture for it felf as that can? As for me, my earnest request unto all Chriftians of what fort foever is, and shall be |