interruption the meek Lord, that he threatened to exclude him from his heavenly portion, unless he could be content to be less arrogant and ftiffnecked in his humility.

But to dwell no longer in characterizing the depravities of the church, and how they sprung, and how they took increase; when I recall to mind at laft, after fo many dark ages, wherein the huge overshadowing train of errour had almost swept all the ftars out of the firmament of the Church; how the bright and blissful reformation (by divine power) ftrook through the black and fettled night of ignorance and antichriftian tyranny, methinks a fovereign and reviving joy muft needs rush into the bosom of him that reads or hears; and the fweet odour of the returning gospel imbathe his foul with the fragrancy of HeaThen was the facred Bible fought out of the dufty corners where profane falfehood and neglect had thrown it, the fchools opened, divine and human learning raked out of the embers of forgotten tongues, the princes and cities trooping apace to the new-erected banner of falvation; the martyrs, with the unrefiftible might of weaknefs, fhaking the powers of darkness, and scorning the fiery rage of the old red dragon.

ven.

The pleafing pursuit of these thoughts hath ofttimes led me into a ferious queftion and debatement with myfelf, how it fhould come to pass that England (having had this grace and honour from God, to be the first that fhould fet up a ftandard for the recovery of lost truth, and blow the first evangelic trumpet to the nations, holding up, as from a hill, the new lamp of faving light to all chriftendom) should now be last, and most unsettled in the enjoyment of that peace, whereof she taught the way to others; although indeed our Wickliffe's preaching, at which all the fucceeding reformers more effectually lighted their tapers, was to his countrymen but a short blaze, foon damped and ftifled by the pope and prelates for fix or feven kings reigns; yet methinks the precedency which God gave this ifland, to be first restorer of buried truth, fhould have been followed with more happy fuccess, and fooner attained perfection; in which as yet we are amongst the laft: for, albeit in purity of doctrine we agree with our brethren; yet in difcipline, which is the execution and

applying

applying of doctrine home, and laying the falve to the very orifice of the wound, yea, tenting and fearching to the core, without which pulpit-preaching is but shooting at rovers; in this we are no better than a schism from all the reformation, and a fore fcandal to them: for while we hold ordination to belong only to bishops, as our prelates do, we muft of neceffity hold also their minifters to be no minifters, and fhortly after their church to be no church. Not to speak of those fenfelefs ceremonies which we only retain, as a dangerous earnest of fliding back to Rome, and ferving merely, either as a mift to cover nakedness where true grace is extinguished, or as an interlude to fet out the pomp of prelatifm. Certainly it would be worth the while therefore, and the pains, to inquire more particularly, what, and how many the chief caufes have been, that have ftill hindered our uniform confent to the rest of the churches abroad, at this time especially when the kingdom is in a good propenfity thereto; and all men in prayers, in hopes, or in difputes, either for or against it.

Yet I will not infift on that which may feem to be the caufe on God's part; as his judgment on our fins, the trial of his own, the unmasking of hypocrites: nor fhall I stay to speak of the continual eagerness and extreme diligence of the pope and papifts to ftop the furtherance of reformation, which know they have no hold or hope of England their loft darling, longer than the government of bishops bolsters them out; and therefore plot all they can to uphold them, as may be feen by the book of Santa Clara, the popish priest, in defence of bishops, which came out piping hot much about the time that one of our own prelates, out of an ominous fear, had writ on the fame. argument; as if they had joined their forces, like good confederates, to fupport one falling Babel,

But I fhall chiefly endeavour to declare thofe caufes that hinder the forwarding of true difcipline, which are among ourfelves. Orderly proceeding will divide our inquiry into our forefathers' days, and into our times. Henry VIII was the firft that rent this kingdom from the pope's fuhjection totally; but his quarrel being more about fupremacy, than other faultinefs in religion that he regarded,

B 3

it

it is no marvel if he ftuck where he did. The next default was in the bishops, who though they had renounced the pope, they still hugged the popedom, and fhared the authority among themfelves, by their fix bloody articles perfecuting the proteftants no flacker than the pope would have done. And doubtless, whenever the pope shall fall, if his ruin be not like the fudden downcome of a tower, the bishops, when they see him tottering, will leave him, and fall to fcrambling, catch who may, he a patriarchdom, and another what comes next hand; as the French cardinal of late and the fee of Canterbury hath plainly affected.

In Edward the Sixth's days, why a complete reformation was not effected, to any confiderate man may appear. First, he no fooner entered into his kingdom, but into a war with Scotland; from whence the protector returning with victory, had but newly put his hand to repeal the fix articles, and throw the images out of churches, but rebellions on all fides, ftirred up by obdurate papists, and other tumults, with a plain war in Norfolk, holding tack against two of the king's generals, made them of force content themselves with what they had already done. Hereupon followed ambitious contentions among the peers, which ceafed not but with the protector's death, who was the most zealous in this point: and then Northumberland was he that could do moft in England, who little minding religion, (as his apoftafy well fhowed at his death) bent all his wit how to bring the right of the crown into his own line. And for the bishops, they were fo far from any fuch worthy attempts, as that they fuffered themselves to be the common ftales, to countenance with their proftituted gravities every politic fetch that was then on foot, as oft as the potent ftatifts pleased to employ them. Never do we read that they made use of their authority and high place of access, to bring the jarring nobility to chriftian peace, or to withstand their dif loyal projects: but if a toleration for mass were to be begged of the king for his fifter Mary, left Charles the Fifth fhould be angry; who but the grave prelates, Cranmer and Ridley, must be fent to extort it from the young king? But out of the mouth of that godly and royal

child, Chrift himself returned fuch an awful repulfe to thofe halting and timeferving prelates, that after much bold importunity, they went their way not without shame

and tears.

Nor was this the first time that they difcovered to be followers of this world; for when the protector's brother, lord Sudley, the admiral, through private malice and malengine was to lofe his life, no man could be found fitter than bishop Latimer (like another Dr. Shaw) to divulge in his fermon the forged accufations laid to his charge, thereby to defame him with the people, who elfe it was thought would take ill the innocent man's death, unless the reverend bishop could warrant them there was no foul play. What could be more impious than to debar the children of the king from their right to the crown? To comply with the ambitious ufurpation of a traitor, and to make void the last will of Henry VIII, to which the breakers had fworn observance? Yet bishop Cranmer, one of the executors, and the other bishops, none refufing, (left they should refift the duke of Northumberland) could find in their confciences to fet their hands to the difenabling and defeating not only of princess Mary the papift, but of Elizabeth the proteftant, and (by the bishops judgment) the lawful iffue of king Henry.

Who then can think (though thefe prelates had fought a further reformation) that the leaft wry face of a politician would not have hushed them? But it will be faid, these men were martyrs: what then? though every true Chriftian will be a martyr when he is called to it; not prefently does it follow, that every one fuffering for religion is, without exception. Saint Paul writes, that " a man may give his body to be burnt, (meaning for religion) and yet not have charity:" he is not therefore above all poffibility of erring, because he burns for fome points of truth.

Witness the Arians and Pelagians, which were flain by the heathen for Chrift's fake, yet we take both thefe

* It appears from this and other paffages, that the author in his younger years was orthodox, as it is called: but he afterwards altered his fentiments; as is plain from his tract on "True Religion, Heresy, Schisin, and Toleration," which was the laft work he published. B 4 for

for no true friends of Chrift. If the martyrs (faith Cyprian in his 30th epiftle) decree one thing, and the gofpel another, either the martyrs muft lofe their crown by not obferving the gofpel for which they are martyrs, or the majesty of the gospel must be broken and lie flat, if it can be overtopped by the novelty of any other decree.

And here withal I invoke the Immortal Deity, revealer and judge of fecrets, that wherever I have in this book plainly and roundly (though worthily and truly) laid open. the faults and blemishes of fathers, martyrs, or chriftian emperors, or have otherwise inveighed against erróur and fuperftition with vehement expreffions; I have done it neither out of malice, nor lift to speak evil, nor any vain glory, but of mere neceffity to vindicate the spotless truth from an ignominious bondage, whose native worth is now become of fuch a low efteem, that fhe is like to find fmall credit with us for what she can fay, unless she can bring a ticket from Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley; or prove herself a retainer to Conftantine, and wear his badge. More tolerable it were for the church of God, that all these names were utterly abolished like the brazen ferpent, than that men's fond opinion fhould thus idolize them, and the heavenly truth be thus captivated.

Now to proceed, whatsoever the bifhops were, it seems they themselves were unfatisfied in matters of religion as they then flood, by that commiffion granted to eight bifhops, eight other divines, eight civilians, eight common lawyers, to frame ecclefiaftical conftitutions; which no wonder if it came to nothing, for (as Hayward relates) both their profeffions and their ends were different. Laftly, we all know by example, that exact reformation is not perfected at the first pufh, and those unwieldy times of Edward VI may hold fome plea by this excufe. Now let any reasonable man judge whether that king's reign be a fit time from whence to pattern out the conftitution of a church difcipline, much less that it should yield occafion from whence to fofter and establish the continuance of imperfection, with the commendatory fubfcriptions of confeffors and martyrs, to entitle and engage a glorious name to a grofs corruption. It was not epifcopacy that wrought in them the heavenly fortitude

of