ed. An Argument not foreign to this, is ufed by all the Affertors of Epifcopacy, in which the force of the reasoning is equal to the truth of the affertion; which is, that it is not poffible to think that a Goverment can be criminal, under which the World received the Chriftian Religion, and that in a course of many Ages, in which as all the corners of the Chriftian Church, fo all the parts of it, thè found as well as the unfound, that is, the Orthodox as well as the Hereticks and Schifmaticks, agreed: The Perfecutions that lay then fo heavy on the Church made it no defireable thing for a Man to be expofed to their first fury, which was always the Bishops portion; and that in a courfe of many Centuries, in which there was nothing but Poverty and Labour to be got by the Imployment: There being no Princes to fet it on as an Engine of Government, and no Synods of Clergymen gathered to affume that Authority to themfelves by joint defigns and endeavours. And can it be imagined that in all that glorious Cloud of Witneffes to the truth of the Chrif tian Religion, who as they planted it with their Labours, fo water'd it with their Blood, there fhould not fo much as one fingle perfon be found, on whom either a love to truth, or an envy at the advancement of others, prevailed fo far as to declare against fuch an early and univerfal corruption (if it is to be efteemed one.) When all this is complicated together, it is really of fo great Authority, that I love not to give the proper name to that temper

temper that can withstand fo plain a demonftration. For what can a Man, even heated with all the force of imagination, and poffef fed with all the fharpnefs of prejudice, except to the inference made from these Premiffes, that a Form fo foon introduced, and fo wonderfully blefs'd, could not be contrary to the Rules of the Gofpel; and cannot be afcribed to any other Original, but that the Apoftles every where established it, as the Fence about the Gospel which they planted, fo that our Religion and Government are to be reckoned Twins born at the fame time, and both derived from the fame Fathers.

But things fo remote require more than ordinary knowledge to fet them before us in a true light: And their Distance from us makes them leffen as much to our thoughts, as Objects that are far from us do to our Eyes. Therefore it will be perhaps neceffary in order to the giving a fuller and amiabler prospect of that Apoftolical Constitution, to chuse a Scene that lies nearer,, and more within all peoples view; that so it may appear, that for the living Arguments in favour of this Government we need not go fo far as to the Clement's, the Ignatius's, the Polycarp's, the Ireneus's, the Denys's, and the Cyprian's, that were the Glories of the Golden Ages: Nor to the Athanafius's, the Bafil's, the Gregory's, the Chryfoftome's, the Martin's, the Ambrofe's and the Austin's, that were the beauties of the Second but Silver Age of Chriftiaa 3

nity;