226 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. B. Thou takest upon thee to be a preacher, but there is nothing in thee. Thou art a very ass, an idiot, and a fool., M. I humbly beseech you,, sir, have patience, and give this people a better example. Through the Lord, I am what I am. I submit the trial of my sufficiency to the judgment of the learned. But this wandering speech is not logical. Hopton. Mr. Merbury, how do you prove all the bishops in England, to be guilty of the death of as many souls as have perished,, by the ignorance of the unable ministers which they have made ? M. If they ordain unmeet or unable ministers, they give unto them imposition of hands too hastily, to do which, the apostle saith, they are partakers of othermens' sins. B. The Greek word importeth nothing but the examina- tion of their lives. M. It is general enough to include both ; and it is before set down in the Epistle as a positive law. "A bishop (a word formerly used in a more general sense) must be apt to teach ;" and, according to the apostle, if he be not so approved to your conscience, you communicate with his sins. B. What sins are those, I pray thee ? M. Soul-murder. B. How dost thou prove that? M. The words of the prophet are, cc My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." And who should teach them knowledge ? B. Knowledge ! Have they not the homilies and the catechism ? It is more, methinks, than they will learn. M. Yes, or their parish priest either, to any purpose, in many places. B. Why then, by thy saying, it seems they have too much of this already. M. And too little of the other. B. What other ? M. I mean preaching. What can an ignorant minister see in those things more than a book-learned parishioner B. ! thou wouldst have all preaching. Are not the homilies sermons ? M. God.giveth his own blessing to his awn appointed means, which is preaching, not reading. 'loch was the language from a lord bishop, whom Mr. Strype highly commends as an EX.i logician, and4man of uninro I itaZithig -,Strog's 42gmer, p. 240.
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