d propose them under suspicious titles of _Christs
government, Scepter, and Kingdom_; the better to serve their turns, to
whom the change was beneficiall.

They must give me leave, having none of their temptations to invite
me to alter the Government of Bishops, (that I may have a title to
their Estates) not to beleeve their pretended grounds to any new
waies: contrary to the full, and constant testimony of all Histories
sufficiently convincing unbiased men; that as the Primitive Churches
were undoubtedly governed by the Apostles and their immediate
Successours the first & best Bishops: so it cannot in reason or
charity be supposed, that all Churches in the world should either be
ignorant of the rule by them prescribed, or so soon deviate from their
divine & holy pattern: That since the first Age, for 1500 years not
one Example can be produced of any setled Church, wherein were many
Ministers and Congregations, which had not some Bishop above them,
under whose jurisdiction and government they were.

Whose constant and universall practise agreeing with so large and
evident Scripture-directions, and examples, are set down in the
Epistles to _Timothy_ and _Titus_, for the setling of that Government
not in the persons onely _Timothy_ and _Titus_, but in the succession;
(the want of Government being that, which the Church can no more
dispence with, in point of wel-being, then the want of the word and
Sacrament in point of being.)

I wonder how men came to looke with so envious an eye upon Bishops
power and authority, as to over-see both the Ecclesiasticall use
of them, and Apostolicall constitution: which to me seems no lesse
evidently set forth, as to the maine scope and designe of those
Epistles, for the setling of a peculiar Office, Power, and Authority
in them as President-Bishops above others, in point of Ordination,
Censures, and other acts of Ecclesiasticall discipline; then those
shorter characters of the qualities and duties of Presbyter-Bishops,
and Deacons are described in some parts of the same Epistles; who
in the latitude & community of the name were then, and may now not
improperly be called Bishops; as to the oversight and care of
single Congregations, committed to them by the Apostles, or those
Apostolicall Bishops, who (as _Timothy_ and _Titus_) succeeded them,
in that ordinary power, there assigned over larger divisions in which
were many presbyters.

The humility of those first Bishops avoiding the e