870 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVEESIONS ON FIAT LUX.
of necessity lie it must be. But, sir, if the Lord Jesus Christ had had no other nature than that wherein he was visible to the eyes of men, he could never have been a meet head for a church dispersed throughout the whole world, nor have been able to discharge the duty ^ annexed by God unto that office. And if so, I hope you will not take it amiss if on that supposition I deem your pope, of whom millions of Christians know nothing but by uncertain rumours, nor he of them, to be very unmeet for the discharge of it. And for the visibility of the church, I have before declared wherein it doth con- sist. Upon the whole matter, you do not only come short of proving the identity and oneness of the church to depend upon one visible bishop as its monarchical head, but also the principles whereby you attempt the confirmation of that absurd position are of that nature that they exclude the headship of Christ, and infer no less change or alteration in the church than that which must needs ensue thereon, and the substitution of another in his room; which destroys the very essence and being of it.
Let us now consider what you farther reply unto that which is offered in the " Animadversions" unto the purpose now discoursed of. Your ensuing words are, —
" And here, by the way, we may take notice what a fierce English Protestant you are, who labour so stoutly to evacuate my argument for episcopacy, and leave none of your own behind you, nor acquaint the world with any, though you know far better ; but would make us believe, notwithstanding those far better reasons for prelacy, that Christ himself, as he is the immediate head of invisible influence, so is he likewise the only and immediate head of visible direction and government amongst us, without the interposition of any person, delegate in his stead, to oversee and rule under him in his church on earth ; which is against the tenor both of sacred gospel and St Paul's epistles, and all antiquity, and the present ecclesiastical polity of England, and is the doctrine not of any English Protestant, but of the Presbyterian, Independent, and Quaker."
How little cause you have to attempt an impeachment of my Pro- testancy, I hope I have in some measure evidenced unto you; and shall yet farther make it manifest, as you give me occasion so to do. In the meantime, as I told you before that I would not plead the particular concernment of any party amongst Protestants, no more than you do that of any party among yourselves, so I am sure enough that I have delivered nothing prejudicial unto any of them, because 1 have kept myself unto the defence of their Protestancy, wherein they all agree. Nor have I given you an answer unto any argument that tends in the least to the confirmation of such a prelacy as by any sort of Protestants is admitted ; but only showed the emptiness and
CnmST THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. 371
pernicious consequeuces of your sophism, wherewith you plead in pretence for prelacy, indeed for a papal supremacy, and that on such principles as are absolutely destructive of that Protestant prelacy which you would be thought to give countenance unto. And your ensuing discourse, wherein you labour to justify your reflection on me, is a pitiful piece of falsehood and sophistry. For, — 1. This double head of the catholic church, — one of influence, the other of direction and government, — which you fancy some Protestants to admit of, is a thing that they declare against as injurious to the Lord Christ, and that which would render the church " biceps monstrum," — horrid and deformed. It is Christ himself; who as by his Spirit he exercises the office of a head by invisible influence, so by his word that of visible direction and rule : he is, I say, the only head of visible direction to his church, though he be not a visible head to that purpose; which that he should be is to no pui-pose at all. 2. If by the " interposi- tion of any person under Christ, delegate in his stead," you understand any one single person delegated in his stead to oversee and rule the luhole catholic church, such a one as you now plead for in your " Epistle," it is intolerable arrogancy to intimate that he is designed either in the gospel, or St Paul's epistles, or antiquity, whereas you are not able to assign any place, or text, or word in them, directly or by fair consequence, to justify Avhat you assert. And for the present ecclesiastical polity of the chuixh of England, if you yet know it not, let me inform you that the very foundations of it are laid in a direct contrary supposition, — namely, that there is no such single person de- leo-ated under Christ for the rule of the whole catholic church ; which gives us a new evidence of your conscientious care in what you say and write. 8. If you intend (that which is not at all to your pur- pose) " persons to rule under Christ in the church," presiding, accord- ing to his direction and institution, in and over the particular churches whereunto they do relate, govei'ning them in his name, by his au- thority, and according to his word, I desire you to inform me where- in I have said, or written, or intimated any thing that may give you the least countenance in your affirming that by me it is denied ; or where it was ever denied by any Protestant whatever, prelatical, presbyterian, or independent. Neither doth this concession of theirs in the least impeach the sole sovereign monarchy of Christ, and single headship over his church to all ends and purposes. A monarch may be, and is, the sole supreme governor and political head of his king- dom, though he appoint others to execute his laws, by virtue of au- thority derived from him, in the several provinces, shires, and parishes of it. And Christ is the only head of his church, though he have appointed others to preside and rule in his name, in those distribu- tions of his disciples v\^hereinto they are cast by his appointment.