many Presidents in R. 3. and H. 7. and the beginning of H. 8. in which time there were more attainted than fince, or scarce before: The Canons of Irregularity of Blood were never receiv'd in England, but upon pleafure. If a Lay-Lord was attainted, the Bishops affented to his Condemning, and were always prefent at the paffing of the Bill of Attainder. But if a Spiritual Lord, they went out, as if they car'd not whofe Head was cut off, fo none of their own. In those Days, the Bishops being of great Houses, were often entangled with the Lords in Matters of Treafon. But when d'ye hear of a Bishop a Traytor now?

5. You would not have Bishops meddle with Temporal Affairs; think who you are that fay it. If a Papift, they do in your Church; if an English Proteftant, they do among you; if a Prefbyterian, where you have no Bifhops, you mean your Prefbyterian Lay-Elders, should meddle with temporal Affairs as well as Spiritual. Befides all Jurifdiction is Temporal, and in no Church, but they have fome Jurifdiction or other. The Question then will be reduced to Magis and Minus; They meddle more in one Church than in another.

6. Objection. Bishops give not their Votes by Blood in Parliament, but by an Office annext to them, which being taken away they ceafe to Vote, therefore there is not the fame Reason for them as for Temporal Lords. Anfw. We do not pretend they have that Power the fame Way, but they have a Right: He that has an Office in Weftminster-Hall for his Life, the Office is as much his, as his Land is his that hath Land by inhe-ritance.

7. Whether had the inferior Clergy ever any thing to do in the Parliament? Anfw. No, no otherwise than thus; There were certain of the Clergy that used to affemble near the. Parliament, with whom the Bishops

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Bifhops, upon occafion might confult (but there were none of the Convocation, as 'twas afterwards fettled, (viz.) the Dean, the Arch-Deacon, one for the Chapter, and two for the Diocefs) but it happened by continuance of time (to faye charges and trouble) their Voices and the Confent of the whole Clergy were involved in the Bishops, and at this Day the Bishops Writs run, to bring all these to the Parliament, but the Bishops themselves ftand for all.

8. Bishops were formerly one of thefe two Conditions, either Men bred Canonifts and Civilians, fent up and down Ambaffadors to Rome and other Parts, and fo by their Merit came to that Greatnefs, or else great Noble Men's Sons, Brothers, and Nephews, and fo born to govern the State: Now they are of a low Condition, their Education nothing of that way; he gets a Living, and then a greater Living, and then a greater than that, and fo comes to govern.

9. Bishops are now unfit to Govern, because of their Learning, they are bred up in another Law, they run to the Text for fomething done amongst the Jews that nothing concerns England; 'tis just as if a Man would have a Kettle, and he would not go to our Brazier to have it made as they make Kettles, but he would have it made as Hiram made his Brass-work, who wrought in Solomon's Temple.

10. To take away Bishops Votes, is but the beginning to take them away; for then they can be no longer useful to the King or State. Tis but like the little Wimble, to let in the greater Auger. Objection. But they are but for their Life, and that makes them always go for the King as he will have them. Answer. This is against a Double Charity, for you must always' fuppofe a bad King and bad Bifhops. Then again, whether will a Man be fooner content, himself should be made a Slave, or his fon after him? [when we

talk

talk of our Children, we mean ourselves,] befides, they that have Pofterity are more obliged to the King, than they that are only for themselves, in all the Reafon in the World.

11. How fhall the Clergy be in the Parliament, if the Bishops are taken away? Anfwer. By the Laity, because the Bishops, in whom the reft of the Clergy are included, are fent to the taking away their own Votes, by being involv'd in the major Part of the Houfe. This follows naturally.

12. The Bishops being put out of the House, whom will they lay the Fault upon now? when the Dog is beat out of the Room, where will they lay the Stink?

Bithops out of the Parliament.

1. N the beginning Bishops and Prefbyters were a

of one is mode Deputy Lieutenant, and another Juftice of Peace, fo one is made a Bishop, another a Dean; and that kind of Government by Arch-Bishops, and Bifhops no doubt came in, in imitation of the Temporal Government, not Jure Divino. In time of the Roman Empire, where they had a Legatus, there they placed an Arch-Bishop, where they had a Rector, there a Bishop, that every one might be inftructed in Christianity, which now they heve received into the Empire.

2. They that fpeak ingenioufly of Bishops and Prefbyters, fay, that a Bifhop is a great Prefbyter, and during the time of his being Bishop, above a Prefbyter: as your Prefident of the College of Phyficians is above the reft, yet he himself is no more than a Doctor of Phyfick.

3. The Words [Bishop and Prefbyter] are promifcuously used, that is confeffed by all; and tho' the

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word

Word [Bishop] be in Timothy and Titus, yet that will not prove the Bishops ought to have a Jurifdiction over the Prefbyter, tho' Timothy or Titus had by the Order that was given them: Some Body muft take care of the reft, and that Jurifdiction was but to Excommunicate, and that was but to tell them they fhould come no more into their Company. Or grant they did make Canons one for another, before they came to be in the State, does it follow they muft do fo when the State has receiv'd them into it? What if Timothy had Power in Ephefus and Titus in Creet over the Prefbyters? Does it follow therefore the Bishops muft have the fame in England? Muft we be govern'd like Ephefus and Creet?

4. However fome of the Bishops pretend to be Jure Divino, yet the Practice of the Kingdom had ever been otherwife, for whatever Bishops do otherwife than the Law permits, Westminster Hall can controul, or fend them to abfolve, &c.

5. He that goes about to prove Bishops Jure Divino, does as a Man that having a Sword, fhall ftrike it against an Anvil; if he ftrikes it a while there, he may peradventure loofen it, tho' it be never fo well riveted; 'twill ferve to flrike another Sword (or cut Flesh) but not against an Anvil.

6. If you fhould say you hold your Land by Moses or God's Law, and would try it by that, you may perhaps lose, but by the Law of the Kingdom you are fure of it; fo may the Bishops by this Plea of Jure Divino lofe all. The Pope had as good a Title by the Law of England as could be had, had he not left that, and claim'd by Power from God.

7. There is no Government enjoyn'd by Example, but by Precept; it does not follow we must have Bishops ftill, because we have had them fo long. They are equally mad who fay Bishops are fo Jure Divino

that

that they must be continued, and they who fay they are fo Antichriftian, that they must be put away; all is as the State pleases.

8. To have no Minifters, but Prefbyters, 'tis as in the Temporal State they fhould have no Officers but Conftables. Bifhops do beft ftand with Monarchy, that as amongst the Laity, you have Dukes, Lords Lieutenants, Judges, &c. to fend down the King's Pleafure to his Subjects; fo you have Bishops to govern the inferior Clergy: Thefe upon occafions may addrefs themselves to the King, otherwife every Perfon of the Parish muft come, and run up to the Court.

9. The Proteftants have no Bishops in France, becaufe they live in a Catholick Country, and they will not have Catholick Bifhops; therefore they must govern themselves as well as they may.

10. What is that to the purpose, to what End were Bishops Lands given to them at first? you must look to the Law and Cuftom of the Place. What is that to any Temporal Lord's Eftate, how Lands were first divided, or how in William the Conqueror's Days? And if Men at first were juggled out of their Eftates, yet they are rightly their Succeffors. If my Father cheat a Man, and he confent to it, the Inheritance is rightly

mine.

11. If there be no Bishops there must be fomething elfe, which has the Power of Bishops, though it be in many, and then had you not as good keep them? If you will have no half Crowns, but only fingle Pence, yet Thirty fingle Pence are half a Crown; and then had you not as good keep both? But the Bishops have done ill; 'twas the Men, not the Functions: As if you fhould fay, you would have no more half Crowns, because they were stolen; when the Truth is, they were

not