atisfactorily spoken unto, both by
others and by myself. I desire rather solid than subitane lucubrations. In
the meanwhile, "Let not him that putteth on his armour boast as he that
putteth it off." And let the brother that puts me in mind of other work
remember that himself hath other work to do which he hath not yet done.

I have, for better method and clearness, divided this following discourse
into certain heads, taking in under every head such particulars in his
reply as I conceive to be most proper to that point.

THAT MR COLEMAN DOTH NOT ONLY PREVARICATE, BUT CONTRADICT HIMSELF,
CONCERNING THE STATE OF THE QUESTION.

He tells us often that he doth not deny to church officers all power of
church government, but only the corrective part of government; that the
doctrinal and declarative power is in the ministry; see p. 11, 14. He
denieth that he did "advise the Parliament to take church government
wholly into their own hands: I never had it in my thoughts (saith he) that
the Parliament had power of dispensing the word and sacraments." I must
confess it is to me new language, which I never heard before, that the
dispensing of the word and sacraments is a part of church government; sure
the word _government_ is not, nor never was, so understood in the
controversies concerning church government. But if it be, why did the
brother in his sermon oppose doctrine and government? "Give us doctrine
(said he); take you the government."

But behold now how he doth most palpably contradict himself, in one and
the same page; it is the 11th. "I know no such distinction of government
(saith he), ecclesiastical and civil, in the sense I take government for
the corrective part thereof; all ecclesiastical (improperly called)
government being merely doctrinal; the corrective or punitive part being
civil or temporal." Again, within a few lines, "I do acknowledge a
presbyterian government; I said so expressly in my epistle; and do
heartily subscribe to the votes of the house." If he heartily subscribe to
the votes and ordinances of Parliament, then he heartily subscribeth that
elderships suspend men from the sacrament for any of the scandals
enumerate, it being proved by witnesses upon oath: this power is
corrective, not merely doctrinal. He must also subscribe to the
subordination of congregational, classical, and synodical assemblies in
the government of the church, and to appeals from the lesser to the
greater, as likewise