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Phæd.

Pimandro.

dial. vi.

"This sourness of mind which maketh every man's dealings Plat. in unsavoury in our taste, entereth by unskilful overweening, which at the first we have of one, and so of another, in whom we afterward find ourselves to have been deceived, they declaring themselves in the end to be frail men, whom we judged demigods: when we have oftentimes been thus beguiled, and that far besides expectation, we grow at the length to this plain conclusion, that there is nothing at all sound in any man. Which bitter conceit is unseemly, and plain to have risen from lack of mature judgment in human affairs which if so be we did handle with art, we would not enter into dealings with men, otherwise than being beforehand grounded in this persuasion, that the number of persons notably good or bad is but very small; that the most part of good have some evil, and of evil men some good in them." So true our experience doth find those aphorisms of Mercurius Trismegistus, Αδυνατὸν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐνθάδε καθαρεύειν M. Tris. in Tйs Kakías, To purge goodness quite and clean from all mixture of evil here is a thing impossible.-Again, Tò μǹ Xíav κακὸν ἐνθάδε τὸ ἀγαθόν ἐστι, When in this world we term a thing good, we cannot by exact construction have any other true meaning, than that the said thing so termed is not noted to be a thing exceeding evil.—And again, Móvov, & 'Aokλýwie, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐν ἀνθρώποις, τὸ δὲ ἔργον οὐδαμοῦ. Amongst men, O Asclepius, the name of that which is good we find, but no where the very true thing itself. When we censure the deeds and dealings of our superiors, to bring with us a fore-conceit thus qualified shall be as well on our part as theirs a thing available unto quietness. But howsoever the case doth stand with men's either good or bad quality, the verdict which our Lord and Saviour hath given should continue for ever sure. "Quæ Dei sunt, Deo," Let Mal. men bear the burden of their own iniquity; as for those things which are God's, let not God be deprived of them. For if only to withhold that which should be given be no better than to rob God, if to withdraw any mite of that which is but in purpose only bequeathed, though as yet undelivered into the sacred treasure of God, be a sin for which Ananias Acts v. 2 and Sapphira felt so heavily the dreadful hand of Divine revenge; quite and clean to take that away which we never gave, and that after God hath for so many ages therewith been possessed, and that without any other show of cause,

iii. 8.

Gen.

saving only that it seemeth in their eyes who seek it too much for them which have it in their hands, can we term it or think it less than most impious injustice, most heinous saxlvii.22. crilege? Such was the religious affection of Joseph, that it suffered him not to take that advantage, no, not against the very idolatrous priests of Egypt, which he took for the purchasing of other men's lands to the king; but he considered, that albeit their idolatry deserved hatred, yet for the honour's sake due unto priesthood, better it was the king himself should yield them relief in public extremity, than permit that the same necessity should constrain also them to do as the rest of the people did. But it may be, men have now found out, that God hath proposed the Christian clergy, as a prey for all men freely to seize upon; that God hath left them as the fishes of the sea, which every man that listeth to gather into his net may; or that there is no God in heaven to pity them, and to regard the injuries which man doth lay upon them: yet the public good of this church and commonwealth doth, I hope, weigh somewhat in the hearts of all honestlydisposed men. Unto the public good no one thing is more directly available, than that such as are in place, whether it be of civil or of ecclesiastical authority, be so much the more largely furnished even with external helps and ornaments of this life, how much the more highly they are in power and calling advanced above others. For nature is not contented with bare sufficiency unto the sustenance of man, but doth evermore covet a decency proportionable unto the place which man hath in the body or society of others. For according unto the greatness of men's calling, the measure of all their actions doth grow in every man's secret expectation, so that great men do always know that great things are at their hands expected. In a bishop great liberality, great hospitality, actions in every kind great, are looked for : and for actions which must be great, mean instruments will not serve. Men are but men, what room soever amongst men they hold. If, therefore, the measure of their worldly abilities be beneath that proportion which their calling doth make to be looked for at their hands, a stronger inducement it is than perhaps men are aware of unto evil and corrupt dealings for supply of that defect. For which cause we must needs think it a thing necessary unto the common good of the church, that great jurisdiction being granted unto bishops over others, a

state of wealth' proportionable should likewise be provided for them. Where wealth is had in so great admiration, as generally in this golden age it is, that without it angelical perfections are not able to deliver from extreme contempt, surely to make bishops poorer than they are, were to make them of less account and estimation than they should be. Wherefore, if detriment and dishonour do grow to religion, to God, to his church, when the public account which is made of the chief of the clergy decayeth, how should it be, but in this respect, for the good of religion, of God, of his church, 'that the wealth of bishops be carefully preserved from the farther diminution? The travails and crosses wherewith prelacy is never unaccompanied, they which feel them know how heavy and how great they are: unless such difficulties, therefore, annexed unto that estate be tempered, by coannexing thereunto things esteemed of in this world, how should we hope that the minds of men, shunning naturally the burdens of each function, will be drawn to undertake the burden of episcopal care and labour in the church of Christ? Wherefore, if long we desire to enjoy the peace, quietness, order, and stability, of religion, which prelacy (as hath been declared) causeth, then must we necessarily, even in favour of the public good, uphold those things, the hope whereof being taken away, it is not the mere goodness of the charge, and the Divine acceptation thereof, that will be able to invite many thereunto. What shall become of that commonwealth or church in the end, which hath not the eye of learning to beautify, guide, and direct it? At the length, what shall become of that learning, which hath not wherewith any more to encourage her industrious followers? And finally, what shall become of that courage to follow learning, which hath already so much failed through the only diminution of her chiefest rewards, bishopricks? Surely wheresoever this wicked intendment of overthrowing cathedral churches, or of taking away those livings, lands, and possessions, which bishops hitherto have enjoyed, shall once prevail, the handmaids attending thereupon will be paganism and extreme barbarity. In the law of Moses, how careful provision is made that goods of this kind might remain to the church for ever: Ye shall not make common the holy things of the Numb. children of Israel, lest ye die, saith the Lord." Touching the xviii. 32. fields annexed unto Levitical cities, the law was plain, they

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Lev.

XXV.

Ezek.

xlviii. 14.

ii. 17.

Mal.

iii. 9.

might not be sold; and the reason of the law this, "for it was their possession for ever." He which was Lord and owner of it, his will and pleasure was, that from the Levites it should never pass to be enjoyed by any other. The Lord's own portion, without his own commission and grant, how should any man justly hold? They which hold it by his appointment, had it plainly with this condition, "They shall not sell of it, neither change it, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land; for it is holy unto the Lord." It falleth sometimes Habak. out, as the prophet Habakkuk noteth, that the very "prey of savage beasts becometh dreadful unto themselves." It did so in Judas, Achan, Nebuchadnezzar; their evil-purchased goods were their snare, and their prey their own terror; a thing no where so likely to follow, as in those goods and possessions, which being laid where they should not rest, have by the Lord's own testimony his most bitter curse, their undividable companion. These persuasions we use for other men's cause, not for theirs with whom God and religion are parts of the abrograted law of ceremonies. Wherefore, not to continue longer in the cure of a sore desperate, there was a time when the clergy had almost as little as these good people wish. But the kings of this realm and others, whom God had blessed, considered devoutly with themselves, as David in like case sometimes had done, "Is it meet that we at the hands of God should enjoy all kinds of abundance, and God's clergy suffer want?" They considered that of Solomon, "Honour God with thy substance, and the chiefest of all thy revenue; so shall thy barns be filled with corn, and thy vessels shall run over with new wine." They considered how 2 Chron. the care which Jehosaphat had, in providing that the Levites might have encouragement to do the work of the Lord cheerfully, was left of God as a fit pattern to be followed in the church for ever. They considered what promise our Lord and Saviour had made unto them, at whose hands his prophets should receive but the least part of the meanest kind of friendliness, though it were but a draught of water; which promise seemeth not to be taken, as if Christ had made them of any higher courtesy incapable, and had promised reward unto such as give them but that, but unto such as leave them but that. They considered how earnest the apostle is, that if the ministers of the law were so amply provided for, less care then ought not to be had of them, who under the gos

Prov. iii. 9.

xix.

pel of Jesus Christ possessed correspondent rooms in the church. They considered how needful it is, that they who provoke all others unto works of mercy and charity, should especially have wherewith to be examples of such things, and by such means to win them, with whom other means, without those, do commonly take very small effect.

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In these and the like considerations, the church-revenues were in ancient times augmented, our Lord thereby performing manifestly the promise made to his servants, that they which did "leave either father, or mother, or lands, or goods, for his sake, should receive even in this world a hundred fold." For some hundreds of years together, they which joined themselves to the church, were fain to relinquish all worldly emoluments and to endure the hardness of an afflicted estate. Afterward, the Lord gave rest to his church, kings and princes became as fathers thereunto, the hearts of all men inclined towards it, and by his providence there grew unto it every day earthly possessions inmore and more abundance,till the greatness thereof bred envy, which no diminutions are able to satisfy. For, as those ancient nursing fathers thought they did never bestow enough; even so in the eye of this present age, as long as any thing remaineth, it seemeth to be too much. Our fathers we imitate in perversum, as Tertullian speaketh; like them we are, by being in equal degree the contrary unto that which they were. Unto those earthly blessings which God as then did with so great abundance pour down upon the ecclesiastical state, we may in regard of most near resemblance, apply the selfsame words which the prophet hath, "God blessed them Psal. cv. exceedingly; and, by this very mean, turned the hearts of 24, 25. their own brethren to hate them, and to deal politicly with his servants." Computations are made, and there are huge sums set down for princes, to see how much they may amplify and enlarge their own treasure; how many public burdens they may ease; what present means they have to reward their servants about them, if they please but to grant their assent, and to accept of the spoil of bishops, by whom church-goods are but abused unto pomp and vanity. Thus albeit they deal with one, whose princely virtue giveth them small hope to prevail in impious and sacrilegious motions; yet shame they not to move her royal majesty even with a suit not much unlike unto that wherewith the Jewish highpriest tried Judas, whom they solicited unto treason against

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