branch. I do not say, it is an appendant or appurtenant of godliness and religion; but is an essential branch. It is of the essence of my religion, that I put a difference, as between a godly and ungodly pastor; so also between a godly pastor, that is almost ungodly, and hath but one talent of godliness; and a godly pastor, who is of the highest rank of godly pastors, and is full of the wisdom, and grace, and joy of the Holy Ghost, and is of extraordinary usefulness and eminency in God's church.

We must not, for fear of inclining to the pope's lordliness and supremacy, run into another dangerous extreme, and tempt infants to think they are men, and scholars to think that they are fit to be teachers; and learning disciples, novices, and children, that they are equal in wisdom and knowledge to their parents, masters, and tutors, between whom there is no compare.

35. I make no doubt but there have been holy and eminent men lord-bishops and archbishops, peers in parliament: God forbid that I should think or say otherwise. But either they were no more but mere and simple bishops and archbishops, chosen and singled forth from among their brethren, to be consulted with in matters and cases ecclesiastical, and proper for divines and bishops; or they were more.

If the former, and they kept in the rank and station of bishops and divines, for my part, I am not he that shall oppose it. And, if there be any word, in all this disputation, against such use of bishops and divines, indictum volo, I wish it unsaid.

But, if they were more, and took themselves to be more than simple bishops and pastors in God's church, and to be superior to their brethren in power and authority; if they took themselves to be supreme magistrates and judges, under, and with the king, in the house of lords, and to have jurisdiction and lordship, proper to magistrates and supreme coercive judges, and to the nobility, peers, and princes, in parliament; this I hold to be extra episcopal, to be a swerving from the simplicity that is in Christ, and an undue prelation of pastors above pastors, and a deformity added to the beauty and lustre of simple episcopacy; and it is a cause of more evil than good, and, upon a just computation of all, both conveniencies and inconveniencies, it will be found a truth, that church and state have been both losers; that bishops and archbi shops themselves, who have had such external honours, pre-eminences, and authorities, have been losers in their souls by them, and that it had been better for all sides, that they had kept in the station and quality of simple bishops and divines.

36. The archbishops and bishops with us have three ordinations; first, they are ordained presbyters, then they are ordained bishops, then they are ordained archbishops. Now these two last ordinations are ra ther nullities and corruptions, and do suppose that there is a majority and superiority of power in bishops over presbyters, and in archbishops over bishops; and the next step must be in the pope over all. For to be a bishop and shepherd over all the souls and shepherds which are in England, is a vice of the very same kind with that of the pope's, who says he is Christ's vicar upon earth, and bishop over all the bishops and

souls which are in the world; which is to claim and usurp the office of Jesus Christ, and to attempt the doing of that which is absolutely impossible. It is indeed more impossible for one man to be bishop and pastor over all the souls and bishops which are in the world, than it is for one man to be bishop and pastor over all the souls and pastors which are in England. Both are alike simply impossible, though the one is more impossible than the other. And they do both savour of proud self-ignorance, and gross affectation, and self-seeking, as though one man could be in a thousand places at once, baptizing, preaching, giving the Lord's-supper, visiting the sick, instructing souls, and doing all other the acts and offices of a scripture-bishop, and spiritual overseer of souls, Acts xx. 28. To the creating of a bishop or archbishop, there needs no more but an election and nomination of him to the place, as is done by the house of commons, when they chuse a speaker. His office is no more but to be as the foreman of the quest. If he have not wisdom, holiness, and ministerial worth and usefulness, answerable to his name, he is but an archbishop in name, he is rather a post or cypher, than a

man.

37. Also our prelates do take upon them to be ecclesiastical legisla. tors and canon-makers to all the churches, and to all other pastors; and they constitute them a lay-chancellor, and require of all the clergy an oath or solemn promise of canonical obedience to them, and their chancellors. They call their chancellor their vicar in spirituals, and unto him is committed the power of discipline and jurisdiction ecclesiastical over all, both clergy and laity; and the church-canons are his law and rule, which being too crooked for honest men to conform to, he spares not to excommunicate them; and, upon a significavit, made by him into the Chancery, out comes an excommunicato capiendo, and the party must either go to prison all his days without bail, or make his composition much to his shame or damage, or both. And excommunications and absolutions in the bishops court are bought and sold for money; and the worst men are spared and countenanced, whilst the best men are harrassed and anathematised, and accursed from Christ and his kingdom.

38. Now the bishops, being conscious to themselves, that this kind of prelacy, and domination, and jurisdiction, is not good and equal, but rather like the pope's supremacy over all, and those, whom the Holy Ghost brands, Nehem. v. 15, who ruled over God's people, by their servants, as now the bishops do by their vicars, substitutes, and chancellors; but so did not good Nehemiah, because of the fear of God: they, I say, being sensible hereof, do get to be princes, and lords, and statesmen in parliament, and thereby insinuate themselves with the sovereign, and with such of the nobles and gentry, as love to be flattered and smoothly dealt with; and, by this means, establish to themselves, and to their chancellors, worldly and carnal jurisdiction, and dominate over their brethren, and become the authors of sects and factions, and hinder the holiness, the unity and concord of the churches; and, rather than they shall not be lord bishops, and partial, and factious, and busy-bodies in parliament, church and state must suffer, and the common quiet be endangered. They will not endure to

be upon equal ground with their brethren, as wise and good as themselves; as the pope will not abide to be touched in his supremacy.

39. I shall add this one word of caution, though it be not expedient, that bishops be made magistrates, and pastors trusted with the sword; yet it is fit that magistrates be magistrates, and not cyphers, and that they do not bear the sword in vain; and that they do back the power and authority of the ministry, and countenance and uphold the sacred office, by being a terror to evil doers, and a praise and defence to them that do well. There ought to be a due temperament of magistracy and ministry, that we might lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all godliness and honesty. Though the sword is not God's ordinance, for the conversion of souls, yet, it is God's ordinance for the punishing of vice, and protection of virtue outwardly; and for the just encouragement of worthy pastors, and the discouragement of the unworthy. Anciently God did lead his people, by the hand of Moses and Aaron; they both made but one hand.

And it is a law of universal equity, binding all Christian commonwealths: judges and magistrates shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee throughout thy tribes; and they shall judge thy people with just judgment, Deut. xvi. 18. And as there ought to be a sufficient ministry in every parish; so, also, there ought to be a due proportion and contemperament of coercive judges, and revenging magistrates, in cities, towns, and parishes, that the people might have both law and gospel; means for their souls, and means for their outward peace and safety, nigh at hand.

It was the custom in England anciently, for the bishop and the sheriff, who was then called earl of the county, and was supreme magis. trate under the king in the county, to go in circuit all over the county, the one to teach the people religion, and the way of good living, and to visit all the churches; and the other to decide civil causes, and to chas. tise and correct offenders and offences, and execute revenging wrath upon evil doers: and, by this means, there was much quiet, and good living, and order in the realm. This course is now antiquated and degenerated into another course, not so profitable and convenient for good order and publick quiet; and that is the circuit of Judges itinerant, twice each year, through the realm, keeping their assizes at one place only, and making all the county to come thither; and having a judge's sermon, preached at the entrance of the assizes.

Though the church and ministry will stand, if the pastors do their duty; yet, if Christian magistrates do not their duty in their place and calling, they do so far unchristianise themselves; and, if they protect the evil, and punish the good, or think that, under pretence of liberty of conscience, men may be allowed to blaspheme God, to teach atheism, infidelity, and soul-destroying doctrines, and act the part of Corah, and his accomplices, against the faithful ministers of Christ, God will make them know one day, that that was not the end, for which he appointed them magistrates, and that they are his ministers, and are, therefore, called Gods, and ought not to bear the sword in vain, and to stand by, and see the church wasted, persecuted, and torn in pieces by violence, heresies, schisms, profaneness, and wickednesses, and they be like Gallio, unconcerned, and care for no such things.

And the truth is, it is no little that the due execution of the magis. strates office doth conduce to the success of the gospel, and the promo. ting of the ministry, and of the word and work of God upon men's souls.. And therefore, though I dissent from the worthy Davenant in this, that he would have pastors to be magistrates, and I would have pastors to be but mere pastors, and the office of the magistrates to be an office by itself, and trusted with fit persons who are no pastors, and who may intend it, and make it their work yet, thus far I agree, that it is most convenient and godly, that, throughout all the churches, there be in every place an heir of restraint, a revenger to execute wrath upon them that do evil, and to protect the good; that these two standing ordinances of Jesus Christ, and of God the father by him, may stand and consist together, and walk hand in hand, and mutually support and conserve each other for the glory of God, and the good of church and commonwealth. And this is no Utopia, or Platonick idea, or form of a commonwealth, which is but a fiction or imagination, no where to be found in this world but it is obvious and plain to all, and needs not so much any new institution, as a restoration of ancient practice, and a faithful execution of what all sides agree in, consistent with the municipal laws and sanctions of this kingdom.

40. If any shall think I have committed inexpediency, in writing against inexpediency, and have meddled with a point, that will not abide to be meddled with; when I am convinced of it, I will acknowledge my error: till then, I will stand upon mine own defence, and plead not guilty. Almost imprudent is prudent. If any tax me of pragmaticalness: I answer, it is pragmaticalness, that I write against, and I cannot cure the wound, unless I search it to the bottom, and apply to it suitable plaisters. Pragmatical divines cannot content themselves to be divines in common with their brethren; but they will play the bishops in another's diocese, and think, it well becomes them to immerse themselves in state affairs. If it shall be said, that hereby I cast asper

sion upon the government of the nation, and censure the judgment and

esteem of many generations of princes, parliaments, wise men, divines, and counsellors: I answer, that, if it be lawful for a Davenant to assert in schools, and publish to the world an erroneous position, civilis jurisdictio jure conceditur ecclesiasticis; it cannot be thought unlawful by equal judges, for another, though not to be named with Davenant, to assert the contrary, and shew the unsoundness of his opinion, though with all just reverence to so worthy a man. And, in doing this, I do but expound the true meaning and extent of the fifth commandment, and assert the rights of the church universal, and the consentient judg ment of the best and soundest divines, and the due bounds of magistracy and ministry, and reduce things to primitive order and simplicity, according to the pattern of Christ and his apostles, and the first and purest times of the church,

DISCOURSES UPON THE MODERN AFFAIRS OF EUROPE,

TENDING TO PROVE THAT THE

ILLUSTRIOUS FRENCH MONARCHY MAY BE REDUCED

TO TERMS OF GREATER MODERATION.

Dì Denári, dì sénno, e dì Féde

C'n'è mancò ché non Créde.

There is commonly less money, less wisdom, and less good faith than men do account upon. VERULAM.

Et digiti pedum partim sunt ex ferro, et partim ex luto; quia ex parte regnum futurum est durum, et ex parte futurum est fragile, Dan. ii. 42.

[From a quarto edition, twenty-four pages, printed at the Hague, in the year 1680.]

The Publisher to the Reader.

The author of these discourses I know not. But the same coming to my hands, beyond any expectation of mine, I thought I was bound to give the publick (whose mark is upon them) credit for the same. And, because it is one essential property of a good merchant to pay well, I also thought myself obliged to render the effects of so good a hit, into the common bank, where they are due. It is true, there are some things in them, which seem not so fit for publick view; but those things concerning the author and not me, who have a stock only going in the publick company, and am no private trader; I pass those considerations over, seeing good things (as the philosopher long since observed) the more common, the better they are. And he that cannot speak within doors, may sometimes take liberty to speak without doors, especially when those within doors seem to forget the most material points. Something I would also say of the discourse itself; but because it is a proverb as old as Apelles himself, its author, That the shoe-maker must not go above his last :' I will pray in aid of my Lord Bacon,* and desire him to be of council for me. And first, for the method and manner of handling, thus he speaks, the form of writing, which best agrees with so variable and universal an argument' (as is the handling of negociations and scattered occasions) that would be of all others the fittest, which Machiavel made choice of for the handling of matters of policy and government; namely, by observations and discourses, as they term them, upon history and examples. For knowledge, drawn freshly, and, as it were, in our view, out of particulars, knows the way best to particulars again; and it hath much the greater life for practice, when the discourse or disceptation attends upon the example, than when the example attends upon the disceptation; for here not only order but substance is respected. And as to the matter, who would not but be in a passion, to see the world undone by insufficient counsellors? Or, to speak in our own dialect, so many good ships lost, as it were, in the very mouth of the haven, through unskilful pilots? And to see fighting armies neglected, and impertinent things relied on? Let him therefore speak to these two things. To the first, the speech of Themistocles, taken to himself, was indeed somewhat uncivil and haughty; but if it had been applied to others, and at large, certainly it may seem to comprehend in it a wise observation, and a grave censure; desired at a feast to touch a lute, he

* Advancement of Learning.