with one mind,and prayed. Here was inward Unity in Faith,and love and Joy,and Spiritual Prayer,but no External Uniformity, and ver. 32. The multitude of them that believed, were of one heart, and one Soul. Unity ftill, but nothing of external Uniformity. Further, we read Acts Chap. 7. and Chap. 8. that Stephen and Philip, who by the Church. were ordained Deacons, and were to serve only for the Ministry of the Table, yet by vertue of the Anointing, preached the word of God freely, and powerfully; and how all the Members of the Church of Jerufalem, who were neither Ministers nor Deacons, being fcattered abroad by Perfecution, went Preaching the Word every where, where they came, in that cafe of neceffity; the Unction of the Spirit of which all Believers partake alike, being one fundamental ground of fuch Miniftry, where there are no Believers to call to the Office: And in this, though there was Unity cf Faith, Spirit, and Doctrine, yet I am fure they will fay, there was no fuch Uniformity as they would have. Again, Acts 20. Paul the first day of the Week, preached to the Difciples of Macedonia, from the Evening till Midnight (which Dr. Pocklington in a Printed Sermon faith, was out of order, that is, out of Prelatical Order, or Presbyterial Uniformity) and after brake bread, and did eat, and talked with them a long while, till break of day; and going from thence, he arrived at Ephefus, and there called the Elders of the Church together, and appeals to them after what manner he had been with them, to wit, ferving the Lod with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations, &c. and how, he had beld back nothing profitable for them, but had taught them publickly, and from house to houfe (which f wish were more in ufe now-a-days, if it might obtain fo much leave from Uniformity) and had

Preached

Preached to them Repentance towards God, and Faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift; our chief Work towards God fince our Fall and Corruption being Repentance, which is the change of the Creature towards God, through Gods own work in the Creature: And this is not done without the forrow of the Flesh; and our chief Work towards Chrift, who is given to us as a Head, being Faith or Union. And in the end, exhorts the Presbyters to take heed to themselves (who according to the Church Principles of this Age, want no admonition themselves, feeing they are become a peremptory Rule to all others) and to the flocks over which the holy Spirit (and not Patrons) had made them Over Jeers, to feed the Church of God, which he bad purchafed with his own blood, &c. But in all this, neither practices himself, nor preaches to them, nor commands them to preach to others, or impofe upon others, any fuch kind of thing as external Uniformity. And fo furely, they that fo vehemently urge this thing, that they make it all in all, in their Reformation, have fome other Teacher than the Apostle, who being taught of Chrift, as Chrift was taught of God, yet knew no fuch thing at all, in the Worship of God, as Uniformity.

And yet further, that the World (if it be poffible) may be the more convinced, observe a little more seriously the practice of Chrift and the Saints, in reference to this point, and you shall fee nothing less than External Uniformity. See this in the Prayer of Christ, (Prayer for the Duty it felf, being nothing, but fo much Spiritual Worfhip, as being the voice of the Spirit in the Flesh, both in Head and Members.) This, Chriftometimes performed, with his Eyes lifted up to Heaven, fometimes being proftrate with his Body on the Earth, and fo feveral times, feveral ways;

and

and as he, fo the Saints have; fome prayed ftanding, and lifting up their hands, as Mofes; fome kneeling, and lifting up their hands, as Solomon; fome ftanding, and not lifting up their eyes, as the Publican, &c. And what External Uniformity in all this? And as for Praying, fo for Preaching, Christ sometimes Preached in a Ship, fometimes on the Shoar, fometimes in the City Jerufalem, fometimes in the Temple, fometimes in the Defart, fometimes early, fometimes late, as if he intended on purpose to witness against that piece of the Mystery of Iniquity, which in after Ages fhould be called Uniformity. So Paul preached fometimes on the Jews Sabbath, fometimes on the first day of the Week, fometimes each day of the Week, fometimes in the day, fometimes in the night; fometimes prayed in the House, sometimes on the fhoar; he circumcifed Timothy among the weak, refufed to circumcife Titus among the perverfe; became as a Jew to the Jews, as a Greek to the Greeks, to the weak as weak, to the strong as strong, all things to all men, that he might win fome; and what External uniformity was here? And then for the Sacraments, Chrift adminiftred the Sacrament of the Supper, immediately after Supper, Paul at Midnight, and it may be others in the Morning, or at Noon; and what External Uniformity in all this? And for Government; fometimes the Apoftles met together into a Councel, and in that Councel ordered things, not of their own heads, or by plurality of Voices, but by the Word and Spirit; and what they ordered by the Word and Spirit, they put in execution by the power of the Word and Spirit, and not by the power of the World. At other times Ministers and Believers, did things by the Word and Spirit among themselves, by the mutual confent of both;or elfe Believers alone among them

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felves,

felves, if there were no Minifters prefent. And where the number of Believers were more, they stood in need of more Officers; and where fewer, of fewer Officers; and all these things, are the free ordering of the Churches, who have Chrift, the Spirit, and the Father among them, and in them, and fo are taken out of the Bondage of Men, into the Freedom of God. That truly I fee not the Gospel more setting its Spirit against any thing of Antichrift, than against this point of External Uniformity. For if we have one Lord, Chrift, Spirit, Faith, Baptifm, and God, all other things are free to the Churches, as God fhall order by them, and no otherwife; and the reafon, and wisdom, and prudence of Man, have no place in this World, where the Sun of Righteoufnefs fhines as the only light?

But against this that hath been faid, do lie fome Objections; as first,

The Prophet foretold that the Lord fhould be one, and his Name one; and doth not this imply External Uniformity ?

I answer, nothing lefs; for the Apostle explicates plainly and clearly, what it is to have the Lord one, and his name one, among Believers, Eph. 4. ch. 4, 5, 6. where he faith, there is in the Spiritual Church, one Body, and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptifm, one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all. Where you fee, that among Believers, there is a manifold Unity, but no External Uniformity, yea the Prayer of Chrift the Son, for the Church, unfolds clearly the promife of God the Father to the Church, Job. 17. Chrift prays, that they all (who are many among themselves, according to the flesh) may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, (that is according to the Unity of the Spirit, not External Uniformity) that after this manner they also may be one in us. But

But again it is Objected out of 1 Cor. 14. that the Apostle requires that all things may be done in the Church decently and in order; and doth not this imply External Uniformity?

I answer, that they will hardly admit in their Parish Churches, fuch a Decency and Order as the Apostle there means, neither are they capable of it. For he faith before, When the whole Church is come together into fome place, that all may prophefie one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted; and that during this exercife of Prophecying, if any thing be revealed to another, the former to give place; and he muft fpeak that hath the cleareft light, feeing the Spirit, to whomsoever it is given, it is given to profit withall. And that though all may Prophefie one by one, yet all may not Prophefie at once, for then it would not be Order, but Confufion, which the Apostle would have avoided, faying, Let all things be done decently and in order. And this decency too, he perfwades to by the word, he doth not enforce by Secular Power: And if they will call this Uniformity, for Believers to Prophefie one after another, according to the variety of the gifts of the Spirit, and not many, or two or three at once, or the fame time, we willingly agree with them; but how far this thing is from their fence, every one knows.

Thus you fee, thefe Objections answered, and I am confident there are no more can be brought, but may as clearly and easily be anfwered as thefe.

And therefore, I fay, I wonder, and wonder again, that we having covenanted and agreed together folemnly, to endeavour for a Government moft agreeable to the word of God, fhould in the mean time, be left fo void of the Spirit and Light of the Gospel, as to fall upon External Unifor

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mity,