that part of the privileges of Parliament
whereby they meddle with religion in a parliamentary way), or _qua_ church
government, by archbishops, bishops, &c., and so we swear to endeavour the
extirpation of it. This difference between the first and second articles,
between reformation and extirpation, proveth that the covenant doth
suppose that the church government formerly used in the church of England,
in so far as it was a church government, is not _eatenus_ to be abolished,
but in so far as it was a corrupt church government, that is, prelatical.
3. Church government, in the covenant, is matched with doctrine, worship,
and catechising. Now these are subjectively different from civil
government, for the civil magistrate doth not act doctrinally nor
catechetically, neither can he dispense the word and sacraments, as Mr
Coleman acknowledgeth. 4. In the first part of the first article of the
covenant, concerning "the preservation of the reformed religion in the
church of Scotland, in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government," it
is uncontroverted, that discipline and government are ecclesiastical, and
subjectively different from civil government, that is, though divers who
have a hand in the civil government are ruling elders, yet it is as true
that divers members of Parliament and inferior civil courts are not church
officers; and of the ministry none are civil governors which makes the two
governments clearly distinct subjectively. Now the second part of that
article concerning "the reformation of religion in the kingdoms of England
and Ireland, in doctrine, worship, discipline, and government," cannot so
far differ from the first part of that article in the sense of the words,
"discipline and government," as that the same words, in the same article
of the same covenant, should signify things differing _toto genere_, which
will follow, unless "discipline and government" in the second branch, and
"form of church government" in the third branch, be understood of the
power of church officers, and not of the magistrate. 6. We did swear to
"endeavour the reformation of religion in the kingdoms of England and
Ireland, in doctrine, worship, discipline and government, according to the
word of God and the example of the best reformed churches." Now the word
of God holds forth another government besides magistracy; for Mr Coleman
himself hath acknowledged, that he finds in the New Testament ministers to
be rulers, yea, insti