of martyrdom, as little is it that martyrdom can make good epifcopacy; but it was epifcopacy that led the good and holy men, through the temptation of the enemy, and the fnare of this prefent world, to many blameworthy and opprobrious actions. And it is still epifcopacy that before all our eyes worfens and flugs the moft learned, and feeming religious of our minifters, who no fooner advanced to it, but like a feething pot fet to cool, fenfibly exhale and reak out the greatest part of that zeal, and thofe gifts which were formerly in them, fettling in a skinny congealment of eafe and floth at the top: and if they keep their learning by fome potent sway of nature, it is a rare chance; but their devotion most commonly comes to that queazy temper of lukewarmness, that gives a vomit to God himself. But what do we fuffer misfhapen and enormous prelatifm, as we do, thus to blanch and varnish her deformities with the fair colours, as before of martyrdom, fo now of epifcopacy? They are not bishops, God and all good men know they are not, that have filled this land with late confufion and violence, but a tyrannical crew and corporation of impoftors, that have blinded and abused the world fo long under that name. He that, enabled with gifts from God, and the lawful and primitive choice of the church affembled in convenient number, faithfully from that time forward feeds his parochial flock, has his coequal and comprefbyterial power to ordain minifters and deacons by public prayer, and vote of Chrift's congregation in like fort as he himself was ordained, and is a true apoftolic bishop. But when he steps up into the chair of pontifical pride, and changes a moderate and exemplary houfe for a mifgoverned and haughty palace, fpiritual dignity for carnal precedence, and fecular high office and employment for the high negotiations of his heavenly embaffage: then he degrades, then he unbifhops himself; he that makes him bishop, makes him no bishop. No marvel therefore if St. Martin complained to Sulpitius Severus, that fince he was bishop he felt inwardly a fenfible decay of those virtues and graces that God had given him in great meafure before; although the fame Sulpitius write that he was was nothing tainted or altered in his habit, diet, or perfonal demeanour from that fimple plainnefs to which he first betook himself. It was not therefore that thing alone which God took difpleasure at in the bishops of those times, but rather an univerfal rottennefs and gangrene in the whole function. From hence then I pafs to queen Elizabeth, the next proteftant prince, in whofe days why religion attained not a perfect reducement in the beginning of her reign, I fuppofe the hindering caufes will be found to be common with fome formerly alleged for King Edward VI; the greenness of the times, the weak estate which queen Mary left the realm in, the great places and offices executed by papifts, the judges, the lawyers, the justices of peace for the most part popish, the bifhops firm to Rome; from whence was to be expected the furious flashing of excommunications, and abfolving the people from their obedience. Next, her private counsellors, whoever they were, perfuaded her (as Camden writes) that the altering of ecclefiaftical policy would move fedition. Then was the liturgy given to a number of moderate divines, and fir Thomas Smith a statesman, to be purged and phyficked: and furely they were moderate divines indeed, neither hot nor cold; and Grindal the best of them, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, loft favour in the court, and I think was discharged the government of his fee, for favouring the minifters, though Camden feem willing to find another caufe: therefore about her fecond year, in a parliament, of men and minds fome scarce well grounded, others belching the four crudities of yesterday's popery, thofe constitutions of Edward VI, which as you heard before no way fatiffied the men that made them, are now established for beft, and not to be mended. From that time followed nothing but imprisonments, troubles, difgraces on all those that found fault with the decrees of the convocation, and ftraight were they branded with the name of puritans. As for the queen herfelf, fhe was made believe that by putting down bishops her prerogative would be infringed, of which shall be spoken anon as the course of method brings it in: and why the prelates laboured it fhould fhould be fo thought, ask not them, but ask their bellies. They had found a good tabernacle, they fate under a fpreading vine, their lot was fallen in a fair inheritance. And these perhaps were the chief impeachments of a more found rectifying the church in the queen's time. From this period I count to begin our times, which because they concern us more nearly, and our own eyes and ears can give us the ampler fcope to judge, will require a more exact search; and to effect this the speedier, I fhall distinguish fuch as I efteem to be the hinderers of reformation into three forts, Antiquitarians (for fo I had rather call them than antiquaries, whofe labours are useful and laudable). 2. Libertines. 3. Politicians. To the votarifts of antiquity I fhall think to have fully answered, if I fhall be able to prove out of antiquity, First, that if they will conform our bishops to the purer times, they muft mew their feathers, and their pounces, and make but curtailed bishops of them; and we know they hate to be docked and clipped, as much as to be put down outright. Secondly, that thofe purer times were corrupt, and their books corrupted foon after. Thirdly, that the best of those that then wrote difclaim that any man should repofe on them, and fend all to the fcriptures. First therefore, if those that overaffect antiquity will follow the square thereof, their bishops must be elected by the hands of the whole church. The ancientest of the extant fathers, Ignatius, writing to the Philadelphians, faith, "that it belongs to them as to the church of God "to choose a bishop." Let no man cavil, but take the church of God as meaning the whole confiftence of orders and members, as St. Paul's epiftles express, and this likewife being read over: befides this, it is there to be marked, that thofe Philadelphians are exhorted to choose a bishop of Antioch. Whence it feems by the way that there was not that wary limitation of diocese in thofe times, which is confirmed even by a fast friend of epifcopacy, Camden, who cannot but love bishops as well as old coins, and his much lamented monafteries, for antiquity's fake. He writes in his defcription of Scotland, "That over all the world bifhops had no certain diocese diocefe till pope Dionyfius about the year 208 did cut them out; and that the bishops of Scotland executed their function in what place foever they came indifferently, and without diftinction, till king Malcolm the third, about the year 1070." Whence may be gueffed what their function was: was it to go about circled with a band of rooking officials, with cloakbags full of citations, and proceffes to be ferved by a corporality of griffonlike promoters and apparitors? Did he go about to pitch down his court, as an empiric does his bank, to inveigle in all the money of the country? No certainly it would not have been permitted him to exercise any fuch function indifferently wherever he came. And verily fome fuch matter it was as want of a fat diocese that kept our Britain bishops fo poor in the primitive times, that being called to the council of Ariminum in the year 359, they had not wherewithal to defray the charges of their journey, but were fed and lodged upon the Emperor's coft; which muft needs be no accidental but ufual poverty in them: for the author, Sulpitius Severus, in his 2d book of Church-Hiftory praises them, and avouches it praiseworthy in a bishop to be so poor as to have nothing of his own. But to return to the ancient election of bifhops, that it could not lawfully be without the consent of the people is fo exprefs in Cyprian, and so often to be met with, that to cite each place at large, were to tranflate a good part of the volume; therefore touching the chief paffages, I refer the reft to whom fo lift peruse the author himfelf: in the 24th epiftle: "If a bishop," faith he, "be once made and allowed by the teftimony and judgment of his colleagues and the people, no other can be made." In the 55th, "When a biThip is made by the fuffrage of all the people in peace." In the 68th mark but what he fays; "The people chiefly hath power either of choofing worthy ones, or refufing unworthy:" this he there proves by authorities out of the Old and New Teftament, and with folid reafons: these were his antiquities. This voice of the people, to be had ever in epifcopal elections, was fo well known before Cyprian's time, even to those that were without the church, that the emperor Alexander Alexander Severus defired to have his governors of provinces chofen in the fame manner, as Lampridius can tell; fo little thought it he offenfive to monarchy. And if fingle authorities perfuade not, hearken what the whole general council of Nicæa, the first and famousest of all the reft, determines, writing a fynodical epistle to the African churches, to warn them of Arianifm; it exhorts them to choose orthodox bishops in the place of the dead, fo they be worthy, and the people choose them; whereby they seem to make the people's affent so necefsary, that merit, without their free choice, were not fufficient to make a bishop. What would ye fay now, grave fathers, if you should wake and fee unworthy Bishops, or rather no bishops, but Egyptian taskmasters of ceremonies thruft purposely upon the groaning church, to the affliction and vexation of God's people? It was not of old that a confpiracy of bishops could fruftrate and fob off the right of the people; for we may read how St. Martin, foon after Conftantine, was made bishop of Turon in France, by the people's confent from all places thereabout, maugre all the oppofition that the bishops could make. Thus went matters of the church almost 400 years after Chrift, and very probably far lower: for Nicephorus Phocas the Greek emperor, whofe reign fell near the 1000 year of our Lord, having done many things tyrannically, is faid by Cedrenus to have done nothing more grievous and difpleafing to the people, than to have enacted that no bishop fhould be chofen without his will; fo long did this right remain to the people in the midst of other palpable corruptions. Now for epifcopal dignity, what it was, fee out of Ignatius, who in his epiftle to those of Trallis, confeffeth, "That the prefby ters are his fellow-counfellors and fellow-benchers." And Cyprian in many places, as in the 6, 41, 52, epiftles, fpeaking of prefbyters, calls them his comprefbyters, as if he deemed himself no other, whenas by the fame place it appears he was a bishop; he calls them brethren, but that will be thought his meeknefs: yea, but the prefbyters and deacons writing to him think they do him honour enough, when they phrafe him no higher than brother Cyprian, and dear Cyprian in the 26 epistle. For |