he gospel, defamation of many preachers, and evident hurt
and loss of the people's souls committed to our charge. For the people
are brought almost to the like case, as they were in Syria, Arabia and
Egypt, about the 600th year of our Lord, when the people were so shaken
and brangled with contrary doctrines, some affirming, and others
denying, the opinion of Eutyches, that in end they lost all assured
persuasion of true religion; and within short time thereafter, did cast
the gates of their hearts open to the peril, to receive that vile and
blasphemous doctrine of Mahomet; even so the people in this land are
cast into such admiration to hear the preachers, who damned so openly
this stately pre eminence of bishops, and then, within a few years
after, accept the same dignity, pomp and superiority in their own
persons, which they before had damned in others, that the people know
not what way to incline, and in the end will become so doubtful in
matters of religion and doctrine, that their hearts will be like an open
tavern, patent to every guest that chooses to come in.

We beseech your honours to ponder this in the balance of a godly and
prudent mind, and suffer not the gospel to be slandered by the behaviour
of a few preachers, of whom we are bold to affirm, that if they go
forward in this defection, not only abusing and appropriating the name
of bishops to themselves, which is common to all the pastors of God's
kirk; but also taking upon themselves such offices, that carry with them
the ordinary charge of governing the civil affairs of the country,
neglecting their flocks, and seeking to subordinate their brethren to
their jurisdiction; if any of them, we say, be found to step forward in
this cause of defection, they are more worthy, as rotten members, to be
cut off from the body of Christ, than to have superiority and dominion
over their brethren, within the kirk of God.

This pre eminence of bishops is that Dagon, which once already fell
before the ark of God in this land, and no band of iron shall be able to
hold him up again. This is that pattern of that altar brought from
Damascus, but not shewed to Moses in the mountain, and therefore it
shall fare with it as it did with that altar of Damascus, it came last
in the temple, and went first out. Likewise the institution of Christ
was anterior to this pre eminence of bishops, and shall consist and
stand within the house of God, when this new fashion of the altar shall