Iif ory ofde Puritans, examin'd. 245 Hood, the Canonical Coat, &c. may pals with Ar- guments of the fame VS'eight. Only let me ob- ferve upon it (Mr. Speaker) that one would fwear the Penners of the Article, had the pluming of fome Bifhops already, they are fo acquainted ' with every Feather of them. I know not whether- ' it be more prepofterous to infer the Extirpation of Bifhops from loch weak Arguments, orto at- ' tribute, as they do, to Church Government all the Civil Grievances; not a Patent, not a Mo- nopoly, not the Price of a Commodity railed, but thefe Men make Bifhops the caufe of it. For the bold part of this Petition, Sir, what can be of greater Prefumption, than for the Petitioners, not only to prefcribe to the Parliament what, and ' how it íhall do, but for a Multitude to teach a Parliament, what is and what is not the Govern- ' ment according to God's Word. Betides, what ' is the Petition againft ? Is it not againft the Go- ' vernment of the Church of England, eftablifh'd by Alts of Parliament? Is it not againft the Li- turgy ? Against feveral Fprrns of Divine Service, ratified by the fame Authority ? Believe me, Mr. Speaker, all the Reverence and Authority which we cxpec from Future Times to our own Adis hereafter, depends upon our upholding the Dig- ' nity of what former Parliaments have done ; even in thofe things which in their due time they maydelire, and intend to reverie. * ' Epifcopacy (lays he) is a Funaion deduced through ail Ages of Chrift's Church from the t4pofiles Times, and continued the molt venerable and facred Order Ecclefiaftical ; a FunEtion dig- nified by the Learning and Piety of many Fathers of the Church, glorified by fo many Martyrdoms ' in the Primitive Times, and fome lime our own * RdlfzavorFh, Vol. IV. p. 173, 4 3 " bleffed
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