but for making a wrong use of it, &c." His great error all along is,
that he doth not distinguish between a power, and a liberty of
exercising that power, &c. I would appeal to any man, whether the clergy
have not too little power, since a book like this, that unsettleth
foundations and would destroy all, goes unpunished, &c.

Page 171. "By this or some such method the bishops obtained their power
over their fellow presbyters, and both over the people. The whole tenor
of the Gospel directly contrary to it." Then it is not an allowable
means: This carries it so far as to spoil his own system; it is a sin to
have bishops as we have them.

Page 172. "The preservation of peace and unity, and not any divine
right, was the reason of establishing a superiority of one of the
presbyters over the rest. Otherwise there would, as they say, have been
as many schismatics as Presbyters. No great compliment to the clergy of
those days." Why so? It is the natural effect of a worse independency,
which he keepeth such a clatter about; an independency of churches on
each other, which must naturally create schism.

Page 183. "How could the Christians have asserted the disinterestedness
of those who first preached the Gospel, particularly their having a
right to the tenth part." Yes, that would have passed easy enough; for
they could not imagine teachers could live on air; and their heathen
priests were much more unreasonable.

Page 184. "Men's suffering for such opinions is not sufficient to
support the weight of them." This is a glance against Christianity.
State the case of converting infidels; the converters are supposed few;
the bulk of the priests must be of the converted country. It is their