... ) Noah's Dove. A__ t_er_y-;S_t_.p_or_m_u-,.-:,J,:-.C::l:-er-tH-:B:-~i:-l•-,.-,-:ic_tH_:-;T;::h:-e-w-on-d 7er-o7 f-;th-e_w_o_r-:ld-:.i:-s-,th:-e-C-le-rg_i_e-of Britain. Somany learned Dnmes,fo many eloquent Preacberslhal mvain he fought eJ{ewhere this day, in whatever region under the cope of heaven; Whar !hould I B reckon up thofe great lights ofonr Church,not long fince fet;]uels,Humfrtp,Foxes Whitgifts,Full.$s,Whilakt;rs,RIJWHtdJ,IJilfons,Gretn4ms,Babingtonr,Et<kfit,Ho/t•ndr PI•Jferr,Abbotfot,Perkjwfit,l'eitdt,Hookert,Overallt,Witletr,Whiltr,Mafont?Th<rear; now ofyou under this cryroore, that heareme this day, in whofe jufi praifes I couldbe content to fpend not anltoure, but allc, were it not <~at mutual! modefiy injoynes me filence: How greatfoeveryeenre, yee are not your own. All thefe giftsend infervices. Oh letitpleafe you tofiirup this grace ofGod i~ you; and faithfully to imploy all thefe your gifts to the happy advancement ofyour minifieries; in the practiceofyour JifC,(as in the courfeofmy fpeech)Ler theDiverfiriesof glfrs he taken up with theDiverfitiesofminifieries. There are then asdifferences ofgifts,fo ofminifterics; And which be they?differencos in Offices, and in degrees; There were Apoflles, Prophets, Evangelifis· There are, were, !hall be Bithops, Pre!hyters, Deacons; There aremore than on~ rankeofMinifiers; It was parr ofthe exploded herelie ofliri"' thattooke away thefe three fieps oftheClergie, as the Synod of Carthage calls them. Y ea,:~nd fomewhere,'}ero.wehimfelffm•rrs with the lath ofthis cenfure, as ifperhaps he did more favour of£ri..,.,than ofTuiiJ; Nor withoutopen wrong i11 both ; bur 1may nor now flay upon needleffeApolop;ies; Thereis none ofyou, I hope, can hefo witleffi: as to quefiion tbefe diverfities of Minifreries ; Did they ever reade Hifiories that doubtofthispoint? Sure, they have never fomuchasfcenthem: Turne over all C themonumentsofTimes, and places, fofarreas cverChrifiendomehathfpredit felfc, you !hall finde nothingmoreevident; I will not here !land to abridge theAnnails ofall Ages, and B.egions; Look upon the Councels; and firft ofall, the firfi and chiefeofthofewhicb are fiiled General!, the great Councel! of Nice, You !hall there fee three hundred and eighteen Bi!hops, fo many as A6rah•m had fouldiers in the victoryover theKing!, as Ambrofiwittily al!uderh. Bur perhaps they were then bur newly infiimted, newly received in the Church; No fuch matter; Thofe Fa- ' hersprofeffe ittobe ( -'r>!"• iJn ) the ancient gnife, that the Bifr.opof Alexandria thouid ,beaver £gypt,Lih)a,Pentapoli< ,as theBithopofRomewasm•er hJSSuburbicary Churches:Do bur hearPolicratesBitbop ofEphefu.,anoJd man ofabovethreefcore 0 folemnly prorefiing chat he fuccecded hi• grand. fathers , and great-grand.fathers, · forfeven fuccdlive generations, in the fame Epifcopallchaire. Heare but I rent.,., Ttrtuflla,,CkmeiJI,DtJrothttH ,F.u(ebitH,defcribing&recording the lli!hopsof Antioch Akx a!lr/iia,Hiemfolem,Rome, in the undoubted order oftheir fucellions, noronelr by the!r numbers, bur by thdrnames alfo. Certainly, never day lookr forth fince rhe •ge ofrheApofiles,wherein the SpoufeofChrifi wanted the attcntlance ofrhefe Bride-men : But what doe I urge this? TheSunne is in heaven, and lhines there: Even ]erome himfelfe, though butaPrefbyrer,and a fiom Champion ofhis own order,yer deduceth thisdilferenceofdegreesfromthecrad!e ofthe firfrSchifme, from the commondegree ofthe firfiChurch, from tradition Apofiolicall; yea,when St. Paul wrore this to hisCori!Jfhians,that jarringword had founded in the Cburcr,T am E Pauls,l am Apotloer, I amCeph•u,and therefore evcrl then had thefe differencesbeen. Differences perhaps in Order you will fay ,not in Degree;Yes,both in Order, and in Power,too;There were rhofewhom s. Pa•l calls( ""'";~, , ; ~,..,., )Ptefidents andRulers, Iwhom lgnllfilll calls( .lt~.tri nctf )Governours; DiO!IJ(iuJ ,H ierarcht;CJpriatJ, Overfeers; to whomSaint Paul attributes Power o!rcformationand correction . ro whom the Canons ofthe Apofiles give the po\ver offenrente or confiitution? Ignaliur,chiefety and authority ;F.•fehiur,out of Egefpput, the throneofEpifcopa~ lity; CJp•·i•n, thevigor and authority ofthe chaire; Origw , the highefipirchofthe Church ;]erom, a peet!effeand ~minentpower; The Councell ofsardit, the height ofgovernment; and lafily, F.piphaniut an order generativeofFathers. But what doe I gleaning after the harvefi offo greatAuthors., havedifcuffed thispoint? Ohhow oft, and with what deep lighes hath this mofi flourifhing and happy Church Cnn.f'lo'r~N )'$'1.i.f.uJ, ~~.·~~ ~lt; ~~¥· .-,c,,
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