'( 195 ) ed if there ivy e ä Church among them, or not, or crdsfully to that Purpofe ] Againft which abufeof the Dr. the Bifhop was fain tovindicate himfelf. Seepage 124, 125. Ofhis Pofthumous judgement. Sect. 15. Moreover, 5. We know not of alrr,oli any (hops in England , by whom men may be Ordained. Four or five Reverend Learned men of that degree are commonly Paid to furvive among us (whom we muchhonour and value for their worth ) But as thefe are fo di(tant, and their refs' dente to the moft unknown , fo the relt (ifthere be any ) are known to very few at all, that I can hear of : Its famed that many Bifhops there are ; but we know it not to be true, nor know not who they be : and therefore it cannot well be expe&ed , that their Ordination should be fought. If they reveal not themfelves and their Authority , and do not fo much as once command or claim obedience from the generality of Ivlinifters howcan they expe& to be obeyed If they plead the danger of perfecution I anfwer, a. What Perfecution do they Puffer that are known ( above others of their way ?) 2. If that will excufe them ( when we never heard of any that fuffered the loll ofa penny for being known to be a Bifhop, fence the Wars were ended) then it feems, they take the i3eing of the Miniftry and Churches to be but of fmall moment , that are not worthy their hazzard in a manifeflation of their power : And if this excufe them from appearing,it muff needs in reafon excufe others from knowing them,obeytng them, and fubmitting to them. Se&. 6. And when they (hall declare themfelves to be our Bithops , they muff in all reafon expe& that the proof of it as well as the naked affirmation, be defiredby us. For we mutt not take every man for a Bishop that faith he is fo. They moil Phew us according to the Canons that the Clergy of the Diocefs lawfully Ele&ed them, and Bifhops Confecrated them ; which are tranfa&ions that we are firangers to. if they take the fecret Ele&ion of fix or feven or very few in a Diocefs, to be currant , becaufe the reft are fuppofed to be uncapable by Schifm ; a. Then they Phew themfelves fo ex- ceedingly unluft as to be unmeet for Government, ifthey will upon their fecret prefumptions, and unproved fuppoficions; C c z cue
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