For their authority it is evident not to have been fingle, but depending on the counfel of the prefbyters, as from Ignatius was erewhile alleged; and the fame Cyprian acknowledges as much in the 6 epiftle, and adds thereto, that he had determined, from his entrance into the office of bishop, to do nothing without the consent of his people, and fo in the 31 epiftle, for it were tedious to courfe through all his writings, which are fo full of the like affertions, infomuch that even in the womb and centre of apoftafy, Rome itself, there yet remains a glimpse of this truth; for the pope himself, as a learned English writer notes well, performeth all ecclefiaftical jurifdiction as in confiftory among his cardinals, which were originally but the parish priests of Rome. Thus then did the fpirit of unity and meekness inspire and animate every joint and finew of the myftical body; but now the graveft and worthieft minifter, a true bishop of his fold, thall be reviled and ruffled by an infulting and only canon-wife prelate, as if he were fome flight paltry companion and the people of God, redeemed and washed with Chrift's blood, and dignified with so many glorious titles of faints, and fons in the gofpel, are now no better reputed than impure ethnics and lay dogs; ftones, and pillars, and crucifixes, have now the honour and the alms due to Chrift's living members; the table of communion, now become a table of feparation, ftands like an exalted platform upon the brow of the quire, fortified with bulwark and barricado, to keep off the profane touch of the laics, whilft the obfcene and furfeited priest fcruples not to paw and mammoc the facramental bread, as familiarly as his tavern biscuit. And thus the people, vilified and rejected by them, give over the earnest study of virtue and godlinefs, as a thing of greater purity than they need, and the search of divine knowledge as a myftery too high for their capacities, and only for churchmen to meddle with; which is what the prelates defire, that when they have brought us back to popish blindnefs, we might commit to their difpofe the whole ma naging of our falvation, for they think it was never fair world with them fince that time. But he that will mould a modern bishop into a primitive, muft yield him to be elected

elected by the popular voice, undiocefed, unrevenued, un lorded, and leave him nothing but brotherly equality, matchlefs temperance, frequent fafting, inceffant prayer and preaching, continual watchings and labours in his miniftry; which what a rich booty it would be, what a plump endowment to the many-benefice-gaping-mouth of a prelate, what a relish it would give to his canaryfucking, and fwan-eating palate, let old bifhop Moun tain judge for me.

How little therefore thofe ancient times make for modern bishops, hath been plainly difcourfed; but let them make for them as much as they will, yet why we ought not to ftand to their arbitrement, fhall now appear by a threefold corruption which will be found upon them. 1. The best times were spreadingly infected. 2. The beft men of those times foully tainted. 3. The beft writings of those men dangerously adulterated. These positions are to be made good out of thofe times witneffing of themfelves. First, Ignatius in his early days teftifies to the churches of Afia, that even then herefies were sprung up, and rife every where, as Eufebius relates in his 3 book, 35 chap. after the Greck number. And Hegefippus, a grave church writer of prime antiquity, affirms in the fame book of Eufebius, c. 32: "That while the apostles were on earth, the depravers of doctrine did but lurk but they once gone, with open forehead they durft preach down the truth with falfities." Yea, those that are reckoned for orthodox, began to make fad and fhameful rents in the church about the trivial celebration of feafts, not agreeing when to keep Eafter-day; which contro verfy grew fo hot, that Victor the bishop of Rome excommunicated all the churches of Afia for no other caufe, and was worthily thereof reproved by Irenæus. For can any found theologer think, that these great fathers underftood what was gofpel, or what was excommunication? Doubtless that which led the good men into fraud and errour was, that they attended more to the near tradition of what they heard the apoftles fometimes did, than to what they had left written, not confidering that many things which they did were by the apostles themselves profeffed to be done only for the prefent, and of mere indulgence.

dulgence to fome fcrupulous converts of the circumci fion, but what they writ was of firm decree to all future ages. Look but a century lower in the 1 cap. of Eufebius 8 book. What a universal tetter of impurity had envenomed every part, order, and degree of the church, to omit the lay herd, which will be little regarded, "those that seem to be our paftors," faith he, "overturning the law of God's worship, burnt in contentions one towards another, and increasing in hatred and bitterness, outrageously fought to uphold lordship, and command as it were a tyranny." Stay but a little, magnanimous bifhops, fupprefs your afpiring thoughts, for there is nothing wanting but Conftantine to reign, and then tyranny herfelf fhall give up all her citadels into your hands, and count ye thenceforward her truftieft agents. Such were these that must be called the ancienteft and most virgin times between Chrift and Conftantine. Nor was this general contagion in their actions, and not in their writings: who is ignorant of the foul errours, the ridiculous wrefting of fcripture, the herefies, the vanities thick fown through the volumes of Juftin Martyr, Clemens, Origen, Tertullian, and others of eldest time? Who would think him fit to write an apology for Chriftian faith to the Roman fenate, that would tell them "how of the angels," which he muft needs mean thofe in Genefis called the fons of God," mixing with women were begotten the devils," as good Juftin Martyr in his Apology told them? But more indignation would it move to any Chriftian that fhall read Tertullian, terming St. Paul a novice, and raw in grace, for reproving St. Peter at Antioch, worthy to be blamed if we believe the epistle to the Galatians: perhaps from this hint the blafphemous Jefuits prefumed in Italy to give their judgment of St. Paul, as of a hotheaded perfon, as Sandys in his relations

tells us.

Now befides all this, who knows not how many superftitious works are ingraffed into the legitimate writings of the fathers? And of thofe books that pafs for auth entic, who knows what hath been tampered withal, what hath been razed out, what hath been inferted? Befides the late legerdemain of the papifts, that which Sulpitius

writes concerning Origen's books, gives us caufe vehemently to fufpect, there hath been packing of old. In the third chap. of his 1ft Dialogue we may read what wrangling the bifhops and monks had about the reading or not reading of Origen; fome objecting that he was corrupted by heretics, others anfwering that all fuch books had been fo dealt with. How then fhall I trust these times to lead me, that teftify fo ill of leading themfelves? Certainly of their defects their own witness may be best received, but of the rectitude and fincerity of their life and doctrine, to judge rightly, we must judge by that which was to be their rule.

But it will be objected, that this was an unfettled ftate of the church, wanting the temporal magiftrate to fupprefs the licence of falfe brethren, and the extravagancy of still new opinions; a time not imitable for church-government, where the temporal and spiritual power did not close in one belief, as under Conftantine. I am not of opinion to think the church a vine in this refpect, becaufe, as they take it, she cannot fubfift without clafping about the elm of worldly ftrength and felicity, as if the heavenly city could not fupport itself without the props and buttreffes of fecular authority. They extol Conftantine because he extolled them; as our homebred monks in their hiftories blanch the kings their benefactors, and brand those that went about to be their correctors. If he had curbed the growing pride, avarice, and luxury of the clergy, then every page of his ftory fhould have fwelled with his faults, and that which Zozimus the heathen writes of him fhould have come in to boot: we fhould have heard then in every declamation how he flew his nephew Commodus, a worthy man, his noble and eldest fon Crifpus, his wife Faufta, befides numbers of his friends; then his cruel exactions, his unfoundness in religion, favouring the Arians that had been condemned in a council, of which himself fat as it were prefident; his hard measure and banishment of the faithful and invincible Athanafius; his living unbaptized aimoft to his dying day; thefe blurs are too apparent in his life. But fince he muft needs be the loadftar of reformation, as fome men clatter, it will be good to see further his knowledge of religion what it was, and VOL. I. by

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by that we may likewife guefs at the fincerity of his times in those that were not heretical, it being likely that he would converfe with the famouseft prelates (for fo he had made them) that were to be found for learning.

Of his Arianifm we heard, and for the reft, a pretty fcantling of his knowledge may be taken by his deferring to be baptized fo many years, a thing not ufual, and repugnant to the tenour of fcripture; Philip knowing nothing that fhould hinder the eunuch to be baptized after profeffion of his belief. Next, by the exceffive devotion, that I may not fay fuperftition, both of him and his mother Helena, to find out the crofs on which Chrift fuffered, that had long lain under the rubbish of old ruins; (a thing which the difciples and kindred of our Saviour might with more ease have done, if they had thought it a pious duty;) fome of the nails whereof he put into his. helmet, to bear off blows in battle, others he faftened among the ftuds of his bridle, to fulfil (as he thought, or his court bishops perfuaded him) the prophecy of Zechariah; "And it shall be that which is in the bridle fhall be holy to the Lord." Part of the crofs, in which he thought fuch virtue to refide, as would prove a kind of, Palladium to fave the city wherever it remained, he caufed to be laid up in a pillar of porphyry by his ftatue. How he or his teachers could trifle thus with half an eye open upon St. Paul's principles, I know not how to imagine.

How should then the dim taper of this emperor's age, that had fuch need of fnuffing, extend any beam to our times, wherewith we might hope to be better lighted, than by those luminaries that God hath fet up to fhine to us far nearer hand. And what reformation he wrought for his own time, it will not be amifs to confider; he appointed certain times for fafts and feafts, built ftately churches, gave large immunities to the clergy, great riches and promotions to bishops, gave and miniftered occafion to bring in a deluge of ceremonies, thereby either to draw in the heathen by a resemblance of their rites, or to fet a gloss upon the fimplicity and plainnefs of chriftianity; which, to the gorgeous folemnities of paganism, and the sense of

the