Page:The reason of church-governement urg'd against prelaty - Milton (1641).djvu/66

 his humble remorse, till he regain his first health and felicity. This is the approved way which the Gospell prescribes, these are the spirituall weapons of holy censure, and ministeriall warfare, not carnall, but mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. What could be done more for the healing and reclaming that divine particle of Gods breathing, the soul, and what could be done lesse? he that would hide his faults from such a wholsome curing as this, and count it a two-fold punishment, as some do, is like a man that having foul diseases about him, perishes for shame, and the fear he has of a rigorous incision to come upon his flesh. We shall be able by this time to discern whether Prelaticall jurisdiction be contrary to the Gospell or no. First therefore the government of the Gospell being economicall and paternall, that is, of such a family where there be no servants, but all sons in obedience, not in servility, as cannot be deny'd by him that lives but within the sound of Scripture, how can the Prelates justifie to have turn'd the fatherly orders of Christs houshold, the blessed meeknesse of his lowly roof, those ever open and inviting dores of his dwelling house which delight to be frequented with only filiall accesses, how can they justifie to have turn'd these domestick privileges into the barre of a proud judiciall court where fees and clamours keep shop and drive a trade, where bribery and corruption solicits, paltring the free and monilesse power of discipline with a carnall satisfaction by the purse. Contrition, humiliation, confession, the very sighs of a repentant spirit are there sold by the penny. That undeflour'd and unblemishable simplicity of the Gospell, not she her selfe, for that could never be, but a false-whited, a lawnie resemblance of her, like that aire-born Helena in the fables, made by the sorcery of Prelats, instead of calling her Disciples from the receit of custome, is now turn'd Publican her self; and gives up her body to a mercenary whordome under those fornicated which she cals Gods house, and in the sight of those her altars which she hath set up to be ador'd makes merchandize of the bodies and souls of men. Rejecting purgatory for no other reason, as it seems, then because her greedines cannot deferre but had rather use the utmost extortion of redeemed penances in this life. But because these matters could not be thus carri'd without a begg'd and borrow'd force from worldly autority, therefore prelaty slighting the Errata