will have so much patience, as to admit these lines to your perusal, I shall beseech him, for God's sake and for his own, to be so far indifferent also, as not, upon groundless suggestion, to abandon God's truth and ordinance; and, out of mere opinion of the worth of some late author, to adore an idol made of the ear-rings of the people, and fashioned out with the graving tool of a supposed skilful Aaron. Shortly, after these poor, well-meant (howsoever, I doubt, ineffectual) endeavours, my prayers shall not be wanting for your comfortable peace, loyal obedience, perfect happiness. Oh, that the God of Heaven would open your eyes, that you may see the truth; should do! How and compare what you have done, with what you soon would you find cause to retract your own decrees; and to reestablish that true ordinance of the living God, which you have been mis-induced to abandon !

SECT. 2.

An Exhortatory Conclusion to our Brethren at Home.

AND, for you, my dearly beloved Brethren, at home; for Christ's sake, for the Church's sake, for your souls' sake, be exhorted to hold fast to this Holy Institution of your Blessed Saviour and his unerring Apostles; and bless God for Episcopacy.

Do but cast your eyes a little back, and see what noble instruments of God's glory he hath been pleased to raise up in this very Church of ours, out of this sacred vocation: what famous servants of God; what strong champions of truth, and renowned antagonists of Rome and her superstitions; what admirable preachers; what incomparable writers; yea, what constant and undaunted Martyrs and Confessors: men, that gave their blood for the Gospel; and embraced their faggots, flaming, which many gregary professors held enough to carry cold and painless: to the wonder and gratulation of all foreign Churches, and to the unparallelable glory of this Church and Nation. I could fill this page with such a catalogue of them, who are now in their heaven, that come for the present to my thoughts, (besides those worthies yet living, both here and in Ireland, who would be unwilling from my pen to blush at their own just praises) as might justly shame and silence any gainsayer.

After that a malicious libeller bath spit out all his poison against Episcopacy; and raked together, out of all histories, all the insolencies and ill offices, which have, in former ages, been done by professedly Popish Prelates (which do almost as much concern us, as all the treasons and murders of formerly mal-contented persons can concern him), fain would I have him shew me, what Christian Church under heaven hath, in so short a time, yielded so many glorious lights of the Gospel, so many able and prevalent adversaries of schism and antichristianism, so many eminent authors of learned works which shall out-bid time itself. Let envy grind her teeth, and

eat her heart: the memory of these worthy Prelates shall be ever sweet and blessed.

Neither doubt I, but that it will please God, out of the same rod of Aaron still to raise such blossoms and fruit, as shall win him glory to all eternity. Go you on, to honour these your reverend Pastors; to hate all factious withdrawings from that government, which comes the nearest of any Church upon earth, to the Apostolical.

And, that I may draw to conclusion, for the farther confirmation of your good opinion of the Bishops of your Great Britain, hear what Jacobus Lectius, the learned Civilian of Geneva, in his "Theological Prescriptions," dedicated to the Consuls and Senate of Ge neva, saith of them: De Episcoporum autem vestrorum vocatione, &c: "As for the calling of your Bishops," saith he *, speaking to his Popish adversaries, "others have accurately written thereof; and we shortly say, that they have a shew of an Ordinary Ministry, but not the thing itself; and that those only are to be held for true and legitimate, which Paul describes to us in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus: Cujusmodi olim in magno illo Britanniarum regno extitisse, atque etiamnum superesse, subindéque eligi Episcopos non diffi temur; Such kind of Bishops as we do not deny, but yield, to have been of old, and to be still at this day, successively elected in the great kingdom of Britain." Thus he. When Geneva itself pleads for us, why should we be our own adversaries?

Let me, therefore, confidently shut up all, with that resolute word of that blessed Martyr and Saint, Ignatius +: Пávтa εís Tiμйv ☺ES γινέσθω. Τῷ Ἐπισκόπῳ προσέχετε, ἵνα καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν. Αντίψυχον ἐγὼ τῶν ὑποτασσομένων Επισκόπῳ, Πρεσβυτερίῳ, Διακόνοις. μετ ̓ αὐτῶν μοι τὸ μέρος γένοιτο ἔχειν παρὰ Θεῷ: Let all things be done to the honour of God. Give respect to your Bishop, as you would God should respect you. My soul for theirs, which obey their Bishop, Presbyters, Deacons. God grant that my portion may be the same with theirs." And let my soul have the same share with that blessed Martyr, that said so!

AMEN.

* Jacob. Lectius. Præscriptionum Theologicarum I. ii. Nota 2. Adversus codicem Fabrianum.

See p. 576, note t, of this volume. EDITOR.

HUMBLE

AN

REMONSTRANCE

TO THE

HIGH COURT OF PARLIAMENT.

MOST HONOURABLE LORDS; AND YE, THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, AND BURGESSES, OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF COMMONS:

LEST the world should think the press had of late forgot to speak any language other than libellous, this honest paper hath broken through the throng, and prostrates itself before you. How meanly soever, and unattended, it presents itself to your view; yet it comes to you on a great errand, as the faithful messenger of all the peace. able and right-affected sons of the Church of England; and, in their names, humbly craves a gracious admittance. Had it regarded the pomp and ostentation of names, it might have gloried in a train past number. It is but a poor stock, that may be counted. Millions of hands, if that tumultuary and underhand way of procured subscriptions could have reason to hope for favour in your eyes, shall, at your least command, give attestation to that, which this scroll doth, in their names, humbly tender unto you.

Ye are now happily, through God's blessing, met in a muchlonged-for Parliament. It were but a narrow word, to say that the eyes of all us, the good subjects of the whole realm, are fixed upon your success. Certainly, there are not more eyes in these three interested Kingdoms, than are now bent upon you: yea, all the neighbour Churches and Kingdoms, if I may not say the whole Christian World, and no small part beyond it, look wishly upon your faces; and, with stretched-out necks, gaze at the issue of your great meeting. Neither doubt we, but since Sovereign Authority hath, for this purpose, both summoned and actuated you, you will not fail to produce something worthy of so high an expectation.

Ye are the sanctuary, whereto now every man flees, whether really or pretendedly distressed. Even a Joab or Adonijah will be also taking hold of the horns of the altar. Your noble Wisdoms know how to distinguish of men and actions; and your inviolable justice knows to award each his own.

Many things there are, doubtless, which you find worthy of a