thority. They have made a
successless attempt (in order to establish their antigovernment scheme)
for the overthrow of a distinction, which Heaven has irreversibly fixed,
between the preceptive and providential will of God; and, for the same
purpose, they will impose this distinction on the generation--a mere
shift and artifice, which has no foundation nor subsistence any where
else, but in their imagination, and serves for no purpose but to cheat
their own and others' consciences, and betray the cause of God. It is
plain, that as a power, both civil and ecclesiastical, belongs to the
essence and constitution of an English diocesan bishop, so the same is
declared to belong now to the essence and constitution of an English
king, who is the head and chief prelate among them all; and it is their
manner to call themselves his bishops (not Christ's), as having their
power, both ecclesiastical and civil, immediately from him, as the
fountain of all power within his dominions So that there is no room for
this distinction of _Seceders_ here, unless they are such expert
logicians, as to distinguish a thing from that which is essential to it,
and so from itself; but this is a destruction, not a distinction.
_Seceders_ indeed presume and depend very much upon their abilities of
this kind; for they can distinguish between the magistrate's office and
its essential qualifications, which God has inseparably joined together
in his word. They can distinctly pray for the head, author, authorizer
and prime supporter, of abjured Prelacy and Prelates, that God would
bless him in his government, and yet not pray for the Prelates
themselves. They can pray very fervently and distinctly for the British
and Irish parliaments, and yet not at all pray for the bishops,
necessary and essential members there. And what is all this but to pray
for a nonentity, a mere creature of their own mind? They have neither
king nor parliament in their abstracted and imaginary sense, but do
clearly distinguish themselves out of both. We might refer them to that
famous and faithful embassador, and renowned martyr for the cause and
testimony of Jesus, Mr. _Donald Cargill_, in his last speech and
testimony, and let him determine the controversy (in this particular)
between us. They will not be so bold as to say, that this honorable
witness died with a lie in his right hand. His words are these: "As to
the cause of my suffering, the main is, not acknowledging the presen