nor the strength of any invincible argument otherwise found out by the light of reason, nor any notable public inconvenience doth make against that which our own laws ecclesiastical have, although but newly, instituted, for the ordering of these affairs, the very authority of the Church itself, at the least in such cases, may give so much credit to our own laws, as to make their sentence touching fitness and conveniency, weightier than any bare or naked conceit to the contrary; especially in them, who can owe no less than child-like obedience to her that hath more than motherly power.

3. The meetness of our Church Laws.

In all right and equity, that which the Church hath received and held so long for good, that which public approbation hath ratified, must carry the benefit of presumption with it to be accounted meet and convenient. They which have stood up as yesterday to challenge it of defect, must prove their challenge.

4. The form of our Church-government.

Surely the present form of Church-government, which the laws of this land have established, is such, as no law of God, nor reason of man, hath hitherto been alleged of force sufficient to prove they do ill, who to the uttermost of their power withstand the alteration thereof.

5. God's providence over the Established Church.

God, whose property is to shew his mercies then greatest when they are nearest to be utterly despaired of, caused in the depth of discomfort and darkness a most glorious star to arise, and on her (Queen Elizabeth's) head settled the crown, whom himself had kept as a lamb from the slaughter of those bloody times; that the experience of his good

ness in her own deliverance might cause her merciful disposition to take so much the more delight in saving others whom the like necessity should press.

At her coming to the crown, even raised, as it were, by miracle from the dead; a thing which we so little hoped to see, that even they which beheld it done, scarcely believed their own senses at the first beholding. Yet being then brought to pass, thus many years it hath continued standing by no other worldly mean, but that one only hand which erected it; that hand, which as no kind of imminent danger could cause at the first to withhold itself, so neither have the practices, so many, so bloody, following since, been ever able to make weary. Nor can we say in this case so justly, that Aaron and Hur, the ecclesiastical and civil states, have sustained the hand which did lift itself to heaven for them; as that heaven itself hath by this hand sustained them, no aid or help having thereunto been ministered for performance of the work of reformation, other than such kind of help or aid as the angel in the prophet Zechariah speaketh of, saying, Neither by an army, nor strength, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.

The grace and favour of divine assistance, having not in one thing or two shewed itself, nor for some few days or years appeared, but in such sort so long continued, our manifold sins and transgressions striving to the contrary; what can we less thereupon conclude, than that God would at leastwise by tract of time teach the world, that the thing which he blesseth, defendeth, keepeth so strangely, cannot choose but be of him? Wherefore, if any refuse to believe us disputing for the verity of religion established, let them believe God himself thus miraculously working for it, and wish life, even for ever and ever, unto that glorious and sacred instrument whereby he worketh.

6. Christ the Head of the Church.

Why Christ is called the Head of the Church, these causes themselves do yield. As the head is the chiefest part of a man, above which there is none, always joined with the body; so Christ, the highest in his Church, is always knit to it. Again, as the head giveth sense and motion unto all the body, so he quickeneth us, and, together with understanding of heavenly things, giveth strength to walk therein.

7. The king's power in the Church.

If from approbation of heaven, the kings of God's own chosen people had in the affairs of Jewish religion supreme power, why not Christian kings the like also in Christian religion?

8. Divine origin of Episcopacy.

And shall we think that James was made bishop of Jerusalem, Evodius bishop of the Church of Antioch, the Angels in the Churches of Asia bishops, that bishops every where were appointed to take away factions, contentions, and schisms, without some like divine instigation and direction of the Holy Ghost? Wherefore let us not fear to be herein bold and peremptory, that if any thing in the Church's government, surely the first institution of bishops was from heaven, was even of God; the Holy Ghost was the author of it.

9. Episcopacy-its antiquity in Britain. In the histories of the Church we find very ancient mention made of our own bishops. At the Council of Ariminum, about the year 359, Britain had three of her bishops present. At the arrival of Augustine the monk, whom Gregory sent hither to reclaim the Saxons from gentility (gentilism), about

600 years after Christ, the Britons he found observers of the self-same government, by bishops over the rest of the clergy; under this form Christianity took root again, where it had been exiled. Under the self-same form it remained till the days of the Norman conqueror. By him and his successors thereunto sworn, it hath from that time till now, by the space of five hundred years more, been upheld. O nation, utterly without knowledge, without sense! We are not through error of mind deceived, but some wicked thing hath undoubtedly bewitched us, if we forsake that government, the use whereof universal experience hath for so many years approved, and betake ourselves unto a regiment, neither appointed of God himself, as they who favour it pretend, nor till yesterday ever heard of among men.

10. Concerning Bishops.

The very countenance of Moses was glorious after that God had conferred with him: and where bishops are, the powers and faculties of whose souls God hath possessed, those very actions, the kind whereof is common unto them with other men, have notwithstanding in them a more high and heavenly form, which draweth correspondent estimation unto it, by virtue of that celestial impression which deep meditation of holy things, and as it were conversation with God, doth leave in their minds.

A bishop's estimation doth grow from the excellency of virtues suitable unto his place. Unto the place of a bishop those high divine virtues are judged suitable, which virtues being not easily found in other sorts of great men, do make him appear so much the greater, in whom they are found.

That which the son of Sirach hath concerning the writings of the old sages, wise sentences are

found in them, should be the proper mark and character of bishops' speeches, whose lips, as doors, are not to be opened, but for egress of instruction and sound knowledge. If base servility and dejection of mind be ever espied in them, how should men esteem them as worthy the rooms of the great ambassadors of God? A wretched desire to gain by bad and unseemly means standeth not with a mean man's credit, much less with that reputation which Fathers of the Church should be in. But if besides all this there be also coldness in works of piety and charity, utter contempt even of learning itself, no care to further it by any such helps as they easily might and ought to afford, how should the Church of God hope for great good at their hands.

Men whom it standeth upon to uphold a reverend estimation of themselves in the minds of others, without which the very best things they do are hardly able to escape disgrace, must before it be over late remember how much easier it is to retain. credit once gotten, than to recover it being lost.

11. Their just title to temporal goods.

Only the governors of our souls, they that study day and night so to guide us, that both in this world we may have comfort, and in the world to come endless felicity and joy (for even such is the very scope of all their endeavours; this they wish, for this they labour, how hardly soever we use to construe of their intents): hard, that only they should be thus continually lifted at for possessing but that whereunto they have by law both of God and man most just title.

12. The Bishop's gentleness.

At the hands of a bishop the first thing looked for is a care of the clergy under him; a care, that