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Show .• ·. Confiderations, touching the Edification, and Pacification,.[ P.ojte doccri; And, no queibon, tn that ch~~ch,_ th~ firi~.I~fi:tut r- l ons, were excellent,) performeth> all Ect:lejiajitctdl Ju.r~ d,[hou, as in conjflory. • . . And whereof confifreth t1' IS Conjjlory, but of the Parifh Prujlr,: .1f Rome which term thernfel ves Cardinali, a Ctlrdinilnu JIJ~tndi; Bec~ur~, the Bif/Jop, pretendeth to be nni verfall, over th~.w~ole fflorld. And hereof again, we fee many fhadowes, yet ~e malnm_g: As that the Dean)and chapter, pro forma,choofeth the Ijif!Jop,whlch is the Highefr Point, of ]11rijdiCJ ion. ~ nd that, the B1jlwp, when he giveth Orde:s, ift~ere ~e a?y 1!1inijt~rs, cafually ~reCent, ca l~ leth them, to JOyn wnb·him,_m l~tpojet1on ofHcmds~ .1?d .iorne O · ther Particulars. Arid theretore It ieemeth to me, a fhmg ReajimaUe, . an-i Religi6ur, and according to the. jirjt I11j~itutio1Z ~ _tha,t Elflrops.)n the greate~ Caufe_s,~nd thofe w~tch requae_a ~p1rzt~a~J Dijcerning ; Namdy 1n Ordamz!'.g, Sufpendzng, or DcpnVJng lt1tmfters; 1 n Ex_comnJunitation, ( bewg rd1ored, to the uu ~, and pro-per Ufe; As {ball be afterwar?~ to~ched;) In fe? tencmg, tbe_V~lidit; of .ll farria"es and Legtttn!tttJOns, In ]udgmg Caufes Crumnous ,'as symony, ~n:eji, BlafPhemy_, and ~he like;. Snould not .rr~ ceed fole; and una{hfted. Whtch Pomt, ( as undcrfiand tt,)t.s a Reformation, that may be pl~nted, fine . Strcp!tu, .without any Perturbati"on at all; And is a Matter, whtch Will gtve .ftrength ro the BijhrJpr; C~untenance to the inferior _Degrcer of relates, or Miniflers; And the better Hl'ue~ or proceedmg, to thofe Caufes, tha~ fha11 paffe. And, as I wifb, this.flrength, given to the Bifb.ops, by CcunccU" fo . it is not unworthy, your Maje.Jl'ias Conftderat:tOn, whether you lhall not think fit, to give fhength,to t~egeneralt C oun~ell) of your : clerf!J (the Convocatzon Ho11je ;) which was then refhamed,.w he a the st:;~ of the clergy, was thought, a Suf petted Part, to the Kine;dome in Regard of their late Homage, to the Bijbop of Ro??u:; Which S;ate,now) ~ill give place to none, in their Loyalty) and , Devotion,.to your Majdf, .• for the Second J'oint; which is~ the Depsstation of their A1tth()rity ;, , 1 fee, no perfecr, and fure Ground, for that neither; Being fome~ \ what different from the Examples, and Rule~, of Govermno;t. The EijlJop, ,ex:rcifeth his ]ttrfdi[/ifm, by his cbanceller, and Cb.Wmij] ary')'official!~ &c. We fee, in all Lawes, in t·he v.:orld, offices of Confidence~ and .tftill, cannot be .Put o:rer, nor e.~rctfed by Depuf.J';• Except it be, efpeciall y, contau1ed, In the.ongma/l Graunt; And· · · in that cafe, it is dutiful!. And for Expencnce,there was never,, any Cha?tceller of Engla11d, ma-de a Deputy. There was never any ]udge, in any Court~ made a Deputy. . The Ei(hop,iJ a ]ud,ge~ and of a high Nature; whence commeth 1t, that he fi1ou1.d d~pute ?Confidering, that all Trufr,and Confidence, (as was fatd,) ts perfonall, and Inherent ; And cannot, nor ought not, be tranf pofed? Surely, in this again; Ab Initio non fuit fie; Eut it isJ>robable, that Bifhop,, when they gave themfelves, too much) to the CloYJ [ of the Churtb ofEngland. ----------------- Glory of the World, ~md became Grandeu in Kingdomu, and great I Cmmcel!ers to Princes, theh did they dele ague, their proper Juri) d. t1i- 011f, as T hings, of too inferiour a Nature, for their Greatne.£fe; And then, after the Similitude, and Imitation, of Ki11gs; and Counts.PalatTne, they would have their Chtmcelten, and Judgu. But that Example, of Kingi, and FotentateJ,giveth no good Defen ce. for the Reafons, why Kings, adminifl:er, by their }tdg eJ~ although t hemfelves are Supre.un Judges, are two. The one, be- · caufe th · Offices of Kings are, for the mofr part, of Inheritance; And it is a Rule, in all Lawes, that ojficu of Inheritance, are rather M at~ers) that GroHnd in Interefl, then in Confidence; For a ~ much, as they may fall upon Women, upon Infants, upon L1tmztick..!, and Ideot1, perfons incapable, to Execute Judicature, in Perfon; And therefore, fuch ojfices,by all Lawes,mighr_, ever, be exercifed, and adminifrred, by Delcgt~ tion. The Second Reafon is, becaufeof the Amplitude of their Jurifdictions; Which is a great, as either their Birth-right, from their Anceftours, or their sword-right from God, maketh it. And therefore, if Mojes, that was Governer, over no great People, and th~fe collecred together, in a Camp; And not fcattred, in ProvinceJ, and Cities; Himfelf of an extraordinary spirit; vy'as, nevcrtheleffe, not able~ tofoffice,and hold out, in perf on, to judge the People; But did, by the advife of Jethro) approved from God, fubfiitute Elders, and Judges, how much more, other Kings,and Prince1? ·There is a Third Rea[on, likewife, though not much to the prefent purpofe; And tha.t is; That ·Kiogs, either in ref pect of the common-wealth, or oft he Greatnc./Je of their own Patrimoniu, are, ufually, Partierin Suites; Arud then, their judgu,fi:and indifferent, between'T,hem, and the subjea .• But in the Cafe ofBifhops, none ofthefe Keafon.r bold. For fir.lt, their office is Eldlive) and for Life, and not PatrimonicLll, or Hereditary: An ~!Jice, me~rly of Conft'dtnce, Science, and ff2.!!aliflcation: And for the Second R.eafon, it is true, that their Jltnfdiction, is Am ple, and Spacious; And that their T ime, is to be divided, between the Labours; -As well, in the Word, and Dof1rine, as in Government, and JurifdilJion. But yet, I do not fee, (fuppofing, the Bijhopr courts,to be ufed, incorruptly, ~md without any indirell: courfe held, to multiply Cau( es for gain ofi Fees;) But that the Bifhop, might very well, for Cauje1 of Moment, fupply, his Judicidll FHnction, in hi~· own Perfon. For we fee, before our Eyes, that one chanceller of Engla1zd difpatcheth, the suites in Equity, of the whole King dome; which is not fo much_, by reafon, of the Excellency, of ~hat R.~tre Hontmrable Perfon, which now holdeth the place ; But it was ever fo, though, more, or ldfe burdenous, to the Suiter, as the Chancelfer, was more, or Ieff~: able, to give dif patch. And if Hold ~e taken, of that which was faid before, that the Eijhops Labour In the &Vo~d~ mufr take up, a principall Part of his Time; fo, I may fay agatn_, that Matter.r of Sttlte, have, ever, taken up, moil: of the .... - ] i C banceller.r |