the Methods that have been made ufe of to defeat them. They have been but too fuccessful, fo that we ftill groan under our Abuses, and do not know when the Time fhall come in which we fhall be freed from them. The Defenders of those Abuses, who get too much by them to be willing to part with them, have made great Ufe of this, that it was the Puritan Party that, during Queen Elizabeth and King James the Firft's Reign, promoted thefe Bills to render the Church odious: Whereas it seems more probable that those who fet them forward, what invidious Characters foever their Enemies might put them under, were really the Friends of the Church; and that they intended to preserve it, by freeing it from fo crying and fo visible an Abufe; which gives an Offence and Scandal that is not found out by much Learning or great Obfervation, but arifes fo evidently out of the Nature of Things, that a small Measure of common Sense helps every one to fee it, and to be deeply prejudiced against it. But fince our Church has fallen under the Evils and Mischiefs of Schifm, none of those who divide from us, have made any more Attempts this Way; but feem rather to be not ill pleased that fuch Scandals fhould be still among us, as

hoping that this is fo great a Load upon our Church, that it both weakens our Strength and leffens our Authority. It is certainly the Intereft of an Enemy, to fuffer the Body to which he opposes himself to lie under as many Prejudices, and to be liable to as much Cenfure as is poffible; whereas every good and wife Friend ftudies to preferve that Body to which he unites himself, by freeing it from every night Thing that may render it lefs acceptable and lefs useful.

Here I will leave this Argument, having, I think, faid enough to convince all that have a true Zeal to our Church, and that think themselves bound in Confcience to obey its Rules, and that feem to have. a particular Jealoufy of the Civil Powers breaking in too far upon the Ecclefiaftical Authority, that there can be nothing more plain and express, than that our Church intends to bring all her Priefts under the stricteft Obligations poffible to constant and perfonal Labour, and that in this fhe purfues the Defigns and Canons, not only of the primitive and best Times, but even of the worst Ages, fince none were ever fo corrupt, as not to condemn thofe Abuses by Canon, even when they maintain'd them in Practice. She does not only bind them to

this, by the Charge fhe appoints to be given, but alfo by the Vows and Promises that she demands of fuch as are ordained. When all this is laid together, and when there ftands nothing on the other Side to balance it, but a Law made in a very bad Time, that took away fome Abuses, but left Pretences to cover others; can any Man, that weighs these Things together, in the Sight of God, and that believes he must answer to him for this at the Great Day, think, that the one, how strong foever it may be in his Favour at an earthly Tribunal, will be of any Force in that laft and dreadful Judgment? This I leave upon all Mens Confciences; hoping that they will fo judge themselves, that they shall not be judged of the Lord.

CHAP. VII.

Of the due Preparation of fuch as may ought to be put in Orders.

TH

and

HE greatest Good that one can hope to do in this World is upon young Perfons, who have not yet taken their Ply, and are not spoiled with Prejudices and wrong Notions. Those who have taken an ill one at firft, will neither be at the Pains to look over their Notions, nor turn to new Methods; nor will they, by any Change of Practice, feem to confefs that they were once in the Wrong: So that if Matters that are amifs can be mended or fet right, it inuft be by giving those that have not yet fet out, and that are not yet engaged, truer Views and jufter Ideas of Things. I will therefore here lay down the Model upon which a Clerk is to be formed, and will begin with fuch Things as ought to be previous and preparatory to his being initiated into Orders.

Thefe are of two forts, the one is of fuch Preparations as are neceffary to give his Heart

Heart and Soul a right Temper, and a true Senfe of Things: The other is of fuch Studies as are neceffary to enable him to go through with the feveral Parts of his Duty. Both are neceflary, but the first is the more indifpenfable of the two; for a Man of a good Soul may, with a moderate Proportion of Knowledge, do great Service in the Church, especially if he is fuited with an Employment that is not above his Talent: Whereas unfanctified Knowledge puffs up, is infolent, unquiet, it gives great Scandal, and occafions much Diftraction in the high Church. In treating of these Qualifications, I will watch over my Thoughts, not to let them rife to a Pitch that is above what the common Frailties of human Nature, or the Age we live in, can bear: And after all, if in any Thing I may seem to exceed these Measures, it is to be confidered that it is natural in propofing the Ideas of Things to carry them to what is wished for, which is but too often beyond what can be expected; confidering both the Corruption of mankind, and of these degenerated Times.

First of all then, He that intends to dedicate himself to the Church, ought, from the Time that he takes up any fuch Refolution, to enter upon a greater Decency

of