and the very maw of Hell ranfack't, and made to give up her conceal'd destruction, ere shee could vent it in that horrible and damned blaft.

O how much more glorious will those former Deliverances appeare, when we fhall know them not onely to have fav'd us from greatest miferies past, but to have referv'd us for greatest happinesse to come. Hitherto thou haft but freed us, and that not fully, from the unjust and Tyrannous Claime of thy Foes, now unite us intirely, and appropriate us to thy felfe, tie us everlastingly in willing Homage to the Prerogative of thy eternall Throne.

And now wee knowe, O thou our most certain hope and defence, that thine enemies have been confulting all the Sorceries of the great Whore, and have joyn'd their Plots with that fad Intelligencing Tyrant that mifchiefes the World with his Mines of Ophir, and lies thirfting to revenge his Navall ruines that have larded our Seas; but let them all take Counsell together, and let it come to nought, let them Decree, and doe thou Cancell it, let them gather themselves, and bee scatter'd, let them embattell themselves and bee broken, let them imbattell, and be broken, for thou art with us.

Then amidst the Hymns, and Halleluiahs of Saints fome one may perhaps bee heard offering at high ftrains in new and lofty Measures to fing and celebrate thy divine Mercies, and marvelous Judgements in this Land throughout all AGES; whereby this great and Warlike Nation inftructed and inur'd to the fervent and continuall practice of Truth and Righteoufneffe, and cafting farre from her the rags of her old vices may preffe on hard to that high and happy emulation to be found the fobereft, wifeft, and moft Chriftian People at that day when thou the Eternall and fhortly-expected King shalt open the Clouds to judge the feverall Kingdomes of the

World, and diftributing Nationall Honours and Rewards to Religious and juft Common-wealths, fhalt put an end to all Earthly Tyrannies, proclaiming thy univerfal and milde Monarchy through Heaven and Earth. Where they undoubtedly that by their Labours, Counfels, and Prayers have been earnest for the Common good of Religion and their Countrey, shall receive, above the inferiour Orders of the Blessed, the Regall addition of Principalities, Legions, and Thrones into their glorious Titles, and in fupereminence of beatifick Vifion progreffing the datelesse and irrevoluble Circle of Eternity fhall clasp infeparable Hands with joy, and blisse in over measure for ever.

But they contrary that by the impairing and diminution of the true Faith, the diftreffes and fervitude of their Countrey afpire to high Dignity, Rule and Promotion here, after a shamefull end in this Life (which God grant them) fhall be thrown downe eternally into the darkest and deepest Gulfe of HELL, where under the defpightfull controule, the trample and fpurne of all the other Damned, that in the anguish of their Torture fhall have no other ease then to exercife a Raving and Bestiall Tyranny over them as their Slaves and Negro's, they fhall remaine in that plight for ever, the bafeft, the lowermoft, the most dejected, moft underfoot and downe-trodden Vafals of Perdition.

Of Prelaticall Episcopacy,

And whether it may be deduc'd from the Apoftolical times by vertue of thofe Teftimonies which are alledg'd to that purpofe in fome late Treatifes: one whereof goes under the Name of James Archbishop of Armagh.

Pyfcopacy, as it is taken for an Order in the Church above a Prefbyter, or as wee commonly name him, the Minister of a Congregation, is either of Divine constitution, or of humane. If onely of humane, we have the fame humane priviledge, that all men have ever had fince Adam, being borne free, and in the Miftreffe Iland of all the British, to retaine this Epifcopacy, or to remove it, confulting with our owne occafions, and conveniences, and for the prevention of our owne dangers, and difquiets, in what best manner we can devife, without running at a loffe, as wee muft needs in thofe ftale, and ufeleffe records of either uncertaine, or unfound antiquity, which if we hold faft to the grounds of the reformed Church, can neither skill of us, nor we of it, (fo oft as it would lead us to the broken reed of tradition. If it bee of Divine conftitution, to fatisfie us fully in that, the Scripture onely is able, it being the onely Book left us of Divine authority, not in any thing more Divine then in the all-fufficiency it hath to furnish us, as

with all other spirituall knowledge, fo with this in particular, fetting out to us a perfect man of God accomplish't to all the good workes of his charge. Through all which Booke can be no where, either by plaine Text, or folid reasoning found any difference betweene a Bishop, and a Prefbyter, fave that they be two names to fignify the fame order. Notwithstanding this clearneffe, and that by all evidence of argument, Timothy, and Titus (whom our Prelates claim to imitate onely in the controuling part of their office) had rather the vicegerency of an Apostleship committed to them, then the ordinary charge of a Bishoprick, as being men of an extraordinary calling, yet to verify that which Saint Paul foretold of fucceeding times,* when men began to have itching eares, then not contented with the plentifull and wholfom fountaines of the Gospell, they began after their owne lufts to heap to themfelvs teachers, and as if the divine Scripture wanted a supplement, and were to be eek't out, they cannot think any doubt refolv'd, and any doctrine confirm'd, unleffe they run to that indigested heap, and frie of Authors, which they call Antiquity. Whatsoever time, or the heedleffe hand of blind chance, hath drawne down from of old to this prefent, in her huge dragnet, whether Fish, or Sea-weed, Shells, or Shrubbs, unpickt, unchofen, thofe are the Fathers. Seeing therefore fome men, deeply converfant in Bookes, have had fo little care of late to give the world a better account of their reading, then by divulging needleffe tractats stuff't with fpecious names of Ignatius, and Polycarpus, with fragments of old Martyrologies, and legends, to distract, and stagger the multitude of credulous readers, & mislead them from their strong guards, and places of fafety

* 2 Tim. 4.

under the tuition of holy writ, it came into my thoughts to perfwade my felfe, setting all distances, and nice refpects afide, that I could do Religion, and my Country no better service for the time then doing my utmost endeavour to recall the people of GOD from this vaine forraging after straw, and to reduce them to their firme stations under the standard

of the Gospell: by making appeare to them, first the infufficiency, next the inconvenience, and lastly the impiety of these gay teftimonies, that their great Doctors would bring them to dote on. And in performing this I fhall not ftrive to be more exact in Methode, then as their citations lead mee.

First therefore concerning Ignatius shall be treated fully, when the Author fhall come to infift upon fome places in his Epiftles. Next to prove a fucceffion of 27. Bishops from Timothy, he cites one Leontius Bishop of Magnefia, out of the II. act of the Chalcedonian Councell: this is but an obscure, and fingle witneffe, and for his faithfull dealing who fhall commend him to us, with this his Catalogue of Bishops? what know wee further of him, but that he might be as factious, and false a Bishop, as Leontius of Antioch that was a hunderd yeares his predeceffor? for neither the praise of his wifedome, or his vertue hath left him memorable to pofterity, but onely this doubtfull relation, which wee muft take at his word; and how shall this teftimony receive credit from his word, whose very name had scarse been thought on, but for this bare Teftimony? But they will fay hee was a member of the Councell, and that may deferve to gaine him credit with us. I will not stand to argue, as yet with faire allowance I might, that wee may as justly fufpect, there were fome bad and flippery men in that councell, as we know there are wont to be in our Convocations. Nor fhall I neede to plead at this time, that nothing hath been more attempted, nor