li 8 Church-Hißory of Bifhops and of all +wens gifts they were fo far in the ancient Churches from having fo few as Dr. Hammond and Petavius imagine, that they multiplied Ofli- cers, and dignified, and fo employed a great part of the Church that had ufeful gifts Infoniich that a molt credible. Witnefs lhortlyafter, even Gregory. Nazianzen, faith, Orat. i. Fag. 45. that by the intrufion of men for dignity and maintenance, "The Church-Rulers were almofi 'snore thart ; the Subjetls. The . words are 'Li.34vav tv?rp qÿ1' äiawv, &c. Of "' others I am.afhamed, who -when they are no better than others, ( and " I wilt: they were not much worfe) thrufl themfelves upon the moll holy My- "fleries, as we fay, with unwafhen hands and prophane minds, and before " they are worthy to al-preach to holy things, ambitioufly enter the Veflry it Pelf. (or Chancell) and prefs and thrufl themfelves about the holy Table, "as if they judged this Order not to be an example of Virtue, but an occafion ":arid help of gettingmaintenance,and not to be anOffice lyable to give Account, f but a Command in which they may be free from Cenfure : Who being mifera= ble (or pitiful perlons) as to Piety, and unhappy as to Splendour, that is, "low in theWorld and Parts) do now in number almoll exceed chafe whom 4' they are over (or are togovern). [This would make one fufpeít that "there were then many Ruling Elders that preach'd not ; but it's plain they had anOffice 'aboutthe Sacraments.] Therefore this Evil increafing "attd getting firength with time, it feems to me that they will have none under " them ;o rule, (or guide) but that all will turn Teachers andwill"Prophefte, in- "fiend (as was promifed by God) ofbeing all taught of God: So that ofold " the Hillary and Parable faid, Saul alto is aritong the Prophets. For there " neithernow-is nor ever was fo great plentyof any other thing as there is now "of thefefrequent Shames'and Criminals; for ether things, as they have their "flourifhing time, have alfo their decay. And though to reprefs their impetu- " oufnefs be awork, above.my firength, yetcertainly toisate it and be affianced is " not the leafi part, of Piety. . Judgeby this,what numbers of Officers orClergy-men then the Church had. §. 26. Next for the Poor, confider their proportions in and by other Churches; -Chryfofl. in Matth. Edit Savil. p. 421. fuppofeth the Poor of theChurchof Antioch (whence hecame) to have beenabout the tenth part ;and dividing the City into three Ranks, he accounts a tenth part rich, -and a tenth part poor, and the reft of a middle Eftate between both. Now in Chryfoflom's time the Church was fo high, being owned by the greateft_Emperoursas we may well fuppofe almoftall or molt of the rich tamein : Whereai at ,Rome in the timeof Cornelius it being under re- `proach and cruel perfecution, we may well conclude, that molt of the rich ítood out, and. theymight fay with Paul, not many Great, not ma- ny Noble are called; few rich men comparatively receiving the Gofpel, it's molt likely thatthe poor were then far more than a tenth part, if not -the greater part of theChurch. But fuppofe them.a tenthpart, which is not probable, : the whole Churchof Rome then would be but 1°5°6 Souls, which
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