as children to their fathers, as disciples to their masters." These similitudes express not only the relation and dependence, but they tell us the reason of the duty: the head gives light and reason to conduct the body; the roots give nourishment to the plants; and the springs, perpetual emanation of waters to the channels: fathers teach and feed their children; and disciples receive wise instructions from their masters: and if we be all this to the people, they will be all that to us; and wisdom will compel them to submit, and our humility will teach them obedience, and our charity will invite their compliance; our good example will provoke them to good works, and our meekness will melt them into softness and flexibility for all the Lord's people are 'populus voluntarius,' ' a free and willing people;' and we, who cannot compel their bodies, must thus constrain their souls, by inviting their wills, by convincing their understandings, by the beauty of fair example, the efficacy and holiness, and the demonstrations of the Spirit.

This is experimentum ejus, qui in nobis loquitur Christus,'' the experiment of Christ that speaketh in us:' for to this purpose those are excellent words which St. Paul spake : "Remember them who have the rule over you: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." There lies the demonstration; and those prelates who teach good life, whose sermons are the measures of Christ, and whose life is a copy of their sermons, these must be followed, and surely these will; for these are burning and shining lights: but if we hold forth false fires, and by the amusement of evil examples, call the vessels that sail upon a dangerous sea, to come upon a rock or an iron shore instead of a safe harbour, we cause them to make shipwreck of their precious faith, and to perish in the deceitful and unstable waters: 'Vox operum fortiùs sonat quàm verborum:'a good life is the strongest argument that your faith is good,' and a gentle voice will be sooner entertained than a voice of thunder; but the greatest eloquence in the world is a meek spirit and a liberal hand; these are the two pastoral staves the prophet speaks of, nognam et hovelim," "beauty and bands";" he that hath the staff of the beauty of holiness, the ornament of fair

example, he hath also the staff of bands: " Atque in funiculis. Adam trahet eos, in vinculis charitatis," as the prophet Hosea's expression is, "He shall draw the people after him by the cords of a man, by the bands of a holy charity *." But if, against all these demonstrations, any man will be refractory, we have, instead of a staff, an apostolical rod, which is the last and latest remedy, and either brings to repentance, or consigns to ruin and reprobation.

If there were any time remaining, I could reckon that the episcopal order is the principle of unity in the church; and we see it is so, by the innumerable sects that sprang up, when episcopacy was persecuted. I could add, how that bishops were the cause that St. John wrote his Gospel; that the Christian faith was, for three hundred years together, bravely defended by the sufferings, the prisons and flames, the life and the death of bishops, as the principal combatants; that the fathers of the church, whose writings are held in so great veneration in all the Christian world, were almost all of them bishops. I could add, that the reformation of religion in England was principally by the preachings and the disputings, the writings and the martyrdom of bishops: that bishops have ever since been the greatest defensatives against popery that England and Ireland were governed by bishops ever since they were Christian, and under their conduct have, for so many ages, enjoyed all the blessings of the Gospel. I could add also, that episcopacy is the great stabiliment of monarchy; but of this we are convinced by a sad and too dear-bought experience: I could therefore, instead of it, say, that episcopacy is the great ornament of religion; that as it rescues the clergy from contempt, so it is the greatest preservative of the people's liberty from ecclesiastic tyranny on one hand (the gentry being little better than servants, while they live under the presbytery), and anarchy and licentiousness on the other; that it endears obedience, and is subject to the laws of princes, and is wholly ordained for the good of mankind, and the benefit of souls. But I cannot stay to number all the blessings, which have entered into the world at this door: I only remark these, because they describe unto us the bishop's employment, which is, to be busy in the

* Cap. xi. 4.

service of souls,-to do good in all capacities,-to serve every man's need,- to promote all public benefits,-to cement governments,-to establish peace,—to propagate the kingdom of Christ,-to do hurt to no man,-to do good to every man; that is, so to minister, that religion and charity, public peace and private blessings, may be in their exaltation.

As long as it was thus done by the primitive bishops, the princes and the people gave them all honour; insomuch, that by a decree of Constantine the Great, the bishop had power given him to retract the sentences made by the presidents of provinces; and we find, in the acts of St. Nicholas, that he rescued some innocent persons from death, when the executioner was ready to strike the fatal blow; which thing, even when it fell into inconvenience, was indeed forbidden by Arcadius and Honorius; but the confidence and honour was only changed, it was not taken away; for the condemned criminal had leave to appeal to the Audientia Episcopalis,' to the Bishops' Court.' This was not any right which the bishops could challenge, but a reward of their piety; and so long as the holy office was holily administered, the world found so much comfort and security, so much justice and mercy, so many temporal and spiritual blessings, consequent to the ministries of that order, that, as the Galatians to St. Paul, men have plucked out their eyes' to do them service, and to do them honour. For then episcopacy did that good that God intended by it; it was a spiritual government, by spiritual persons, for spiritual ends. Then the princes and the people gave them honours, because they deserved, and sought them not; then they gave them wealth, because they would dispend it wisely, frugally, and charitably; then they gave them power, because it was sure to be used for the defence of the innocent, for the relief of the oppressed, for the punishment of evil-doers, and the reward of the virtuous. Then they desired to be judged by them, because their audiences, or courts, did ήσυχάζειν τὸ βαρβαρικόν, ' they appeased all furious sentences,' and taught gentle principles, and gave merciful measures, and in their courts were all equity and piety, and Christian determinations.

But afterwards, when they did fall eis duvaoteíav, 'into secular methods,' and made their counsels vain by pride, and

dirtied their sentences with money, then they became like other men; and so it will be, unless the bishops be more holy than other men but when our sanctity and severity shall be as eminent as the calling is, then we shall be called to councils, and sit in public meetings, and bring comfort to private families, and rule in the hearts of men by a 'jus relationis,' such as was between the Roman emperors and the senate; they courted one another into power, and, in giving honour, strove to outdo each other; for from an humble wise man no man will snatch an employment that is honourable; but from the proud and from the covetous every man endeavours to wrest it, and thinks it lawful prize.

My time is now done; and, therefore, I cannot speak to the third part of my text, the reward of the good steward and of the bad; I shall only mention it to you in a short exhortation, and so conclude. In the primitive church, a bishop was never admitted to public penance; not only because in them every crime is ten, and he that could discern a public shame, could not deserve a public honour; nor yet only because every such punishment was scandalous, and did more evil by the example of the crime, than it could do good by the example of the punishment; but also because no spiritual power is higher than the episcopal, and therefore they were to be referred to the Divine judgment, which was likely to fall on them very heavily: διχοτομήσει ἄχρηστον ὁ Κύριος, “ the Lord will cut the evil stewards asunder;" he will suffer schisms and divisions to enter in upon us, and that will sadly cut us asunder; but the evil also shall fall upon their persons, like the punishment of quartering traitors, ἵνα καί σε διαμελεῖστὶ Taunon, punishment with the circumstances of detestation and exemplarity. Consider, therefore, what is your great duty. Consider what is your great danger. The lines of duty I have already described; only remember how dear and precious souls are to God, since for their salvation Christ gave his blood; and therefore will not easily lose them, whom, though they had sinned against him, yet he so highly valued: remember that you are Christ's deputies in the care of souls, and that you succeed in the place of the apostles. "Non est facile stare loco Pauli, et tenere gradum Petri;" you have undertaken the work of St. Paul, and the office of St. Peter; and what, think you, upon this account, will be required of us?

St. Jerome expresses it thus: "The wisdom and skill of a bishop ought to be so great, that his countenance, his gesture, his motion, every thing should be vocal, "ut quicquid agit, quicquid loquitur, doctrina sit apostolorum :" "that whatever he does or speaks, be doctrine apostolical." The ancient fathers had a pious opinion, that besides the angel-guardian which is appointed to the guard of every man, there is to every bishop a second angel appointed to him at the consecration; and to this Origen alludes, saying that every bishoprick hath two angels, the one visible and the other invisible. This is a great matter, and shows what a precious thing that order and those persons are in the eyes of God; but then this also means, that we should live angelic lives, which the church rarely well expresses by saying, that episcopal dignity is the ecclesiastic state of perfection, and supposes the persons to be so far advanced in holiness, as to be in the state of confirmation in grace. But I shall say nothing of these things, because it may be they press too hard; but the use I shall make of it, upon occasion of the reward of the good and bad steward, is to remind you of your great danger. For if it be required of bishops to be so wise and so holy, so industrious and so careful, so busy and so good, up to the height of best examples; if they be anointed of the Lord, and are the husbands of the churches; if they be the shepherds of the flock, and stewards of the household; it is very fit they consider their danger, that they may be careful to do their duty. St. Bernard considers it well in his epistle to Henry, archbishop of Sens-If I, lying in my cell, and smoking under a bushel, not shining, yet cannot avoid the breath of the winds, but that my light is almost blown out; what will become of my candle, if it were placed on a candlestick, and set upon a hill? I am to look to myself alone, and provide for my own salvation; and yet I offend myself, I am weary of myself, I am my own scandal and my own danger; my own eye and mine own belly, and my own appetite, find me work enough; and therefore God help them, who, beside themselves, are answerable for many others. Jacob kept the sheep of Laban, and we keep the sheep of Christ; and Jacob was to answer for every sheep that was stolen, and every lamb that was torn by the wild beast; and so shall we too, if by our fault, one of Christ's sheep perish; and yet it may be, there are one hundred