ed a regulated Prelacy,
whose scruples he then spoke to, for this had been the way to dissuade
them from, not to persuade them to, the covenant.

But I go along with his _Re-examination_. P. 14, He explaineth himself and
me thus: "He should have said that I advised the Parliament to lay no
burden of government upon them whom he, this Commissioner, thinks church
officers, then had he spoken true." I thank him for his explanation. And,
I pray, who were the church officers whom I said he excluded from church
government? Were they not pastors and ruling elders? And doth not himself
think these to be church officers? Yes; of the ministers he thinks so, but
of ruling elders he seems to doubt, except they be magistrates. Well, but
excluding those church officers from church government he takes with the
charge. Why seeks he a knot in the rush? But now how doth he explain
himself? He will have the Parliament to be church officers (of which
before), and such church officers as shall take the corrective part of
church government wholly into their own hands; yet not to dispense the
word and sacraments, but to leave the doctrinal part to the ministry, and
their power to be merely doctrinal, as he saith, p. 11. Thus you have his
explanation. But doth this solve the violating of the covenant? Nay, it
makes it more apparent; for the government of the church, which the first
article of the covenant speaks of, is distinguished from the doctrinal
part: "That we shall endeavour the reformation of religion in the kingdoms
of England and Ireland, in doctrine, worship, discipline and government."
So that, excluding pastors and ruling elders from the corrective part of
government, and from all power which is not merely doctrinal, he thereby
excludeth them from that discipline and government which the covenant
speaks of as one special part of the reformation of religion. Come on to
the reasons.

I had given four reasons; he takes notice but of three. This is the second
time he hath told three for four, yet even these three will do the
business.

1. "The extirpation of church government is not the reformation of it."
Here the brother addeth these words following as mine, which are not mine:
"Therefore he that finds no church government breaks his covenant." His
reply is, "We must reform it according to the word of God, if that hold
out none, here is no tailing." He addeth a simile of a jury sworn to
inquire into the felony of an accused person