ause of the iniquity and ignorance of judges. That
they are so, the practices of all ages and nations sufficiently testify.

_Argum_. II. The Jewish church government affords a second argument. If
in that they had synagogues in every city, which were subordinate to the
supreme ecclesiastical court at Jerusalem, then there ought to be a
subordination of particular churches among us to higher assemblies; but
so it was among them: therefore,

That the subordination was among them of the particular synagogues to
the assembly at Jerusalem, is clear--Deut. xvii. 8, 12; 2 Chron. xix. 8,
11; Exod. xviii. 22, 26.

That therefore it ought to be so among us, is as plain: for the dangers
and difficulties that they were involved in without a government, and
for which God caused that government to be set up among them, are as
great if not greater among us, and therefore why should we want the same
means of prevention and cure? Are not we in greater danger of heresies
now in the time of the New Testament, the churches therein being thereby
to be exercised by way of trial, as the apostle foretells, 1 Cor. xi.
19? Doth not ungodliness in these last times abound, according to the
same apostle's prediction? Is there not now a more free and permitted
intercourse of society with infidels than in those times?

Nor are the exceptions against this argument of any strength: as, 1.
That arguments for the form of church government must yet be fetched
from the Jewish Church; the government of the Jews was ceremonial and
typical, and Christians must not Judaize, nor use that Judaical compound
of subordination of churches: the Mosaical polity is abrogated now under
the New Testament. Not to tell those that make this exception, 1. That
none argue so much from the Jewish government as themselves for the
power of congregations, both in ordination and excommunication, because
the people of Israel laid hands on the Levites, and all Israel were to
remove the unclean; 2. We answer, the laws of the Jewish church, whether
ceremonial or judicial, so far are in force, even at this day, as they
were grounded upon common equity, the principles of reason and nature,
and were serving to the maintenance of the moral law. 'Tis of especial
right, that the party unjustly aggrieved should have redress, that the
adverse party should not be sole judge and party too, that judgment
ought not to be rashly or partially passed upon any. The Jewish polity
is only abrogated