SECT. II. Of the grand Merit of the Old Eng∣lish Clergy.

LEt not, I pray (Generous and Courteous Sirs) this one word seem the effect of Clergy-Pride, if we dare venture to tell you, That there are no less then eight Page  9or nine signal and eminent Ho∣nours and Favours which the Great and Catholick Bishop of Souls hath vouchsafed to our Ec∣clesiastick Order; equal to which the Divine Benediction hath hard∣ly deign'd to any Age or any Kingdom besides.

1. * The Union of the Houses of York and Lancaster was effected by the Counsels of Bishop Mor∣ton. A rare Accommodation and Expedient for the joynt & united welfare of the Church and State.

2. * The Union of England and Scotland was wrought by the trea∣ty of Bishop Foxe. That great Wall of Partition was beaten down by a blessed Episcopal Hand.

3. The Conversion of the King∣dom from Paganism was by Saint Augustine Archbishop of Canter∣bury.

4. * The Reformation was be∣gun and promoted by Bishops. These were those Aarons, whose Page  10hands lift up did defeat all the for∣ces of the Amalekites, and gave Benediction to all true Israelites. So that we may borrow (without just Envy) the words of K. Alured to Walfigeus the Bishop, Felicia tunc tempora fuerunt inter omnes Anglia populos, &c. i. e. England was oft the Fortunate Island. His Reason is, Sapientes extiterunt in Anglica gente de Spirituali gradu, &c. Because those of Spiritual Order were Learned, Wise and Godly.

Let this make a fifth signal Be∣nison even in a modern Age: That as in England a judicious and authentick Antiquary hath fixed this Asterism upon English Kings, * Plures pii Reges in Anglia quàm in ulla alia Provincia, quantumcun{que} populosa, i. e. More pious Kings have been in little England, then in any other Province, though ne∣ver so populous or numerous: so the same Divine Benediction hath bestowed a singularity and speci∣alty Page  11of Favour and Honour upon the Body of this Clergy,

Thus Cambridge and Oxford answer to the Puritan Petition ex∣hibited to K. James Anno 1603. pag. 31. And can it once be ima∣gined by him that hath Charity as a grain of Mustard-seed, that such a numerous company of such Learned, Grave and Judicious Clerks should prefer a Libel to such a Learned and Judicious Prince as he was?

Adde yet a sixth signal Ho∣nour, That the late most Odious (i. e. Dignified) Clergy, as Bi∣shops, Deans and Prebends, have been 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (in the singular and new-coined Greek of the An∣gel) highly favoured and honoured above others. For though their Page  12Number exceeds not above 4. or 500. * persons, yet they have been more Able and Athletick and Publick Champions of Protestant religion against Popery, then above 9284. Parochial Ministers. In this I dare appeal to all Learned Gentry or Clergy of what Party or Persuasion soever. These, like Gedeons 300. Souldiers, have done the Duty and Service of many thousands, though their Reward hath been of late, to be discarded and disbanded by the men of the new Militia, or Malitia rather.

If all these Six signal Honours adde nothing to the Merit and Price of that English Order, let them give them all an Ostracism for an Honorary, * and write upon them, Nemo inter vos excellat; an Athenian banishment for ten years, for being too much Athenian or Learned.

That I may yet adde ad cumu∣lum, and make up a very Galeed, i. e. an heap, of Witnesses, take a Page  13seventh signal Honour and Prero∣gative, which is the greater be∣cause it comes out of the mouth of an Enemy. Even one of the grand Rabbies and Patriarchs of the Modern Age gives them a fair voluntary Attestation and ingenu∣ous Confession. His own words are these ensuing.

So Thom as Goodwin in his Grand Interest of State, Febr. 25. 1645. This Ex ore tuo then was spoken above 20. years before that date, as himself witnesses; When the Episcopal Order and English Liturgy were in their very 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and altitude, their very Meri∣dian Lustre.

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Another Rabbi of the same Fra∣ternity gives a fair Concession extorted only by the virtue and force of Truth, and that with no small Passion and Indignation.

So Jer. Burroughs, Irenici pag. 216. Anno 1646. * This, sure, he spake not of himself, but as being a High Priest (and true Prophet) for that same year.

If the mouth of two or three Witnesses will not establish this word, hear the grand and united Authors of the late deformed Re∣formation.

and were now Viri Belial, without yoke) by their Covenan∣ted Thus, thus the Testimo∣ny of J. C. subscribed by the Mi∣nisters of the Province of London, pag. 26, 29, 30, 31.

You may easily judge (Cour∣teous Gentlemen) what kind of Builders they were, without any Edification; though their fingers do very much itch (if their Wits were as good as their Wills) to Page  16rear up a second Babel. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

Let the Reverend Clergy then (yet further) Ride on prosperously, and good luck have they with their signal Honour in the eighth place, from the indifferent, impartial Transmarine Testimony. Floren∣tissima Anglia, Ocellus ille Ecclesia∣rum, Peculium Christi singulare, Spei melioris vexillum, splendida Domini caulae. — Horrore toti con∣cutimur ad versam hanc pulcherri∣mam Ecclesiae inter vos faciem.— hactenus in terris & Ecclesiae Thea∣tro eminuere. i. e. The most Flo∣rid and Illustrious Church, the right Eye of the Churches, Christs own grand Peculiar, the very En∣sign and Banner of all good Hope, the most splendid Sheepfold of the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, the most fair and eminent Candlestick on the Theatre. Thus, even thus, the very Gene∣va-men and their Learned Di∣odate, ad Conventum Ecclesiasti∣cum Londini. Sound Doctrine Page  17for the late Assembly-men.

Again, is it not very Rare and Admirable, that with the Geneva-men, another Transmarine Author, a French Ambassadour (Monsieur Rogne) sings an almost Antiphonon, * giving out at Court and at Canter∣bury, upon the view of our Church∣men and Church-Service,

Now as those eminent Transma∣rine Persons were at least seeming Fautors and Fomenters of our old English Church; so others (of a more gallant Equipage then any Novel Teachers) were no friends to the profane violaters of Sacred Per∣sons or Revenues of the Church. Luther for Germany calls

Landes of Bishops, Deanes and Page  18

This is a German Witness serving indifferently for our English Hori∣zon. Calvin for France does not be∣friend our English Zamzummims, who complains,

So Calvin de Necessit. Reform.

Lastly, Knox for Scotland gave this death-bed Doctrine against our English false Teachers:

And accordingly at St. Andrews An∣no 1582. there was a general Fast throughout the Realm for appea∣sing Gods wrath for the sin of Sa∣crilege.

Let our Novel Teachers in Eng∣land either defie this Quaternion of Gospel-Souldiers, Diodati for Ge∣neva, Luther for Germany, Calvin for France, Knox for Scotland; or else down on their knees, and aske Par∣don and Blessing from their old Mo∣ther the Church, or their Fathers the Bishops of that Church.

In the ninth and last place, the Honour of the old Clergy might be demonstrated and made visible and conspicuous from the Antithesis of all Novel Teachers. Opposita juxta se posita magis elucescunt. Their Dis∣obedience and Rebellion, their Sa∣crilege, their Perjury, their Excom∣municating of Creed, ten Com∣mandments, and blessed Sacra∣ments, their Oppression and Rob∣bing of Brethren (against the Laws Page  20of their own Masters) their Aposta∣tizing, Temporizing, and Symboli∣zing with Papists (in more then ten or twelve particulars;) these, these are the Lees and Dregs which (as before was said) shall be reserved for the very Bottom and Sediment of our whole Discourse; if our good Constantines Mantle, i. e. our King Charles his Act of Oblivion, do not palliate, even wholly cover and hide them; or such foul matters will not make my Papers rather sink then bear them. However, here I give breath to the gentle Reader by a wilful, and studied, and charitable Paralepsis at the present.

Now, Generous Sirs, weigh all these premised Considerations in the balances of Reason and Religion; and when ye have weighed their Signal Actions, 1. in Unions, 2. in Conversions, 3. in Reformations, 4. their numerous Off-spring, 5. their active and vigorous Atchievements, 6. their domestick Enemies suffra∣ges, 7. their Transmarine Friends Page  21and Fautors, 8. the Defects and E∣normities of their Competitors, &c. Ye may justly pronounce, Euge bo∣ne serve, to the Old Order; and, MENE, MENE: TEKEL, i. e. Ye are numbred, weighed in the balance, and found too light, even to all our English Novellists.