< from Heaven, and poured on the Faithful and Illuminated to Wash, Anoint and Streng

C then them to lead the new Life. (e) And a-(e) ibid. Sect. 10. gain a little after he proceeds in this manner. Certainly if these things which have been Piously and Prudently Ordain'd in the Christian Church, (either by the Apostles themselves, or from their Example, by A< poftolical Men, their Succeffors both in their • Chair and their Power) were as Piously as Reverendly, and as conftantly Administer'd < by the Prelates, the other Weapons of Ecclefiaftical Discipline being called in to affift ' in Place and Order as need fhall require; if ⚫ those who are Baptized in their Infancy, and 'affoon as they grow up are Inftructed in the Catechifm, and a clear Explication of the Baptismal Vow, and the Heads of the Catholick Faith, be by the Rectors of their feveral Parishes, brought at length to the Bishop, pofited in an eminent Place,not more Outfhining all Perfons in Honour than in the • Holinefs of his Converfation, that by his Paternal Admonitions and Denunciation, they may be admitted to the folemn Confir mation of what they have Profefs'd and Renounc'd; and only through thefe aufpicious beginnings, fhould they be admitted to afpire to the Lord's Table; and be moreover repelled, and by the power of the Keys bound, and interdicted and made to abftain 'from the Priviledges of Difciples, as often

as they fhall be overtaken in a (f) Fault, or are (f) Gal. 6. 1. found guilty of any Wilful Tranfgreffion, and Heb, 10, 26. be redeem'd and refcu'd from this Shipwrack by the Table of true and folid Repentance only; If, I fay, by this not fowre yet fevere

Law,

(8) I Cor. 10. 4.

(b) De Repub. Eccl. 1. s.

C. 12. P. 24.

(i) Mat. 9. 38.

Law, not inftituted for vain and glittering Pomp, but for a folemn and stated War with Iniquities, we Chriftians would accustom our felves to Serve and Profit in the Camps of Chrift, it can scarce be faid or conceived what a Fruitful and Bleffed Harvest we might expect from this Seed and Culture, what a Victory against the Flesh and Satan, what Trophies we might gain from these Weapons, (g) of Apoftolick warfare, which are not Carnal or Weak, but Powerful thro' God, and • excellently fitted for the pulling down strong Holds; when as thefe Methods of our Polity being defpis'd, and either growing into an 'Univerfal Difufe, or kept in Fashion only for a vain fhew of Piety, degenerating at length into a meer Shadow, Operis Operati, as they fay, or (which is yet worfe) turn'd to gain and Covetoufnefs,as (Sphalatenfis complains) at this Day we vainly feek a Church in the Church, Servants in the Family of 'God, or Difciples of Christ among Chriftians, neither can we find any thing Good or

.

Holy befide the Shadow and the Name a'mongst the Profeffors of Piety. God forbid that the latter part of the Words which I have cited from this great Man, should be applicable to the present state of the Church of England. We have at this time many Vigilant and Diligent Paftors in our Church, whofe Piety Care and Labours are Confpicuous, I only pray, that it would please the Lord of the Harvest, that he will fend forth more fuch Labourers into his Harvest (i). And forafmuch as Confirmation is fo ufeful and fo neceffary an Ordinance, and yet as matters now stand, it cannot be duly and regularly Administer'd in

all

all Parts of the Realm, according as our Laws and Canons require, I wifh an expedient was found out that more Bishops might be Confecrated for the more due and orderly Adminiftration of it. Upon thefe and fuch like confiderations, I think Suffragan Bishops are abfolutely necessary. I could with a great deal of eafe fhew, that before the Reformation there were Suffragans in most parts of this Kingdom. (k) Anthony Harmer, (and I think his Autho-(4) Specimen. rity may be good in this particular, becaufe P. 36. his Adverfary does not pretend the contrary) tells us that in many Diocefes, whofe Records are preferv'd, there appear a continu'd Series or Succeffion of Suffragan, as well as of proper Bishops, and that for the space of 200 years before the Reforma

tion.

And because our Ecclefiaftical Histories comnionly pass over these Suffragans in filence, without taking notice of them, I will here mention the Names of a few in feveral Diocefes, not long before the Reformation, to fatisfy from matter Fact, as well as from the Autho rity of those who have examined these matters that there were fuch Bifhops amongst us. (g) John Greenlaw a Minorite Friar was Suffra-) Angl. Sacra gan to Henry Bowet Bishop of Bath and Wells, Vol. 1. p. 571. by the Title of Epifcopus Soltanienfis, and confecrated A. D. 1401. by two other Suffragans, Johannes Sorenfis Epifcopus &Thomas Conftantienfis. Alfo (b) James entituled Epifcopus Achadenfis (h) Ibid. p. 574) was constituted Suffragan Bishop to Thomas de Bekynton Bishop of Bath and Wells, Nov. 24. 1443. which James being tranflated to Bangor was fucceeded by (i) Thomas Cornish, who was () Ibid & called Bishop of Tine, and was alfo Suffragan then. Ox to the fame Thomas de Bekynton, being appoin P 555

R

ted

1

Vol. 1. p. 778.

7.90.

(m) Athen. Oxon. Vol. I. p. 557,

Cap. XIL (k) Angl, Sacr. ted to that Office October 17. 1459. (k) Tho mas Radcliff Bishop of Dromore in Ireland was conftituted Suffragan to John Sherwood Bishop (1) Ibid. p. 64. of Durham about the year 1485. (1) Richard Martin was Suffragan to the Archbishop of Canterbury, but it does not appear that he had any Title, for in his Will bearing Date 1498. he calls himself only A Bishop of the Catholick Church. (m) Richard who wrote himself Epifcopus Olevenfis was Suffragan to John Giglis and his Nephew Sylvefter Giglis fucceffively Bishops of Worcester. (n) John Hatton Bishop of Nigre pont was Suffragan to the Archbishop of York A. D. 1503. (0) Thomas Vivian Bishop of Megara was Suffragan to the Bishop of Exeter about the year 1510. Many others I could name of these kind of Suffragans if it was needful. I fhall only add that Mr. Wharton (1) in his Treatife of the Bishops London, in the life of Stephen Gravesend, fays, that on January

(") Ibid. p. 560,

(0) Ibid. p. 576.

(P) p. 124.

19. 1332. died the Chorepifcopus or Suffragan ' of Bishop Stephen, which was Peter Bishop of Corban or Corbar; to whom Adam Murimuth gave this Eulogium. In the year 1331, Peter Bishop of Corban confecrated the new Bell in St. Paul's Church, in Honour of St. Mary about Whitfuntide. On the day of St. Wulftan died the faid Bishop in the Convent of the Friars Minors in London, who was of their Order: A Man of an excellent Life and filled with all Goodness. For he fupplied the Office of many Bishops in the Province of Canterbury, in confirming Orders, dedicating Churches, and all other things belonging to the Office of a Bishop. But of this Peter (fays Mr. Wharton) and of the other Chorepifcopi of the See of London, hereafter

(God

(God willing) I fhall treat more largely in a 'particular Work of the Chorepifcopi of England, of which I have Collected an almost 'continued Succeffion in every Diocese; and ⚫ in the Diocèfe of London not fewer than 28, '(of which this Peter was the fecond) between 'the years 1312 and 1540, who have executed 'that Office. Now the Collection made by this very Learned and Industrious Antiquary, as far as relates to the Diocefe of London at leaft, muft needs be a continued Succeffion. For the space of time between the years 1312 and 1540, is but 228 years, in which time a Succeffion of 28 Chorepifcopi will admit of but eight years continuance for each Person in that Office one with another. But this great Man died fo foon, that he lived not to Publifh this and many other ufeful Books he had defigned for the Publick.

And now may it not justly be thought a Ble mish to our most excellent Reformation, that more care thould be taken in the days of Popety for the Edification of the Church by the due Execution of all Epifcopal Functions than we take of them now. Let me speak again of the Office of Confirmation. I would ask the Question whether it be an Order (I will not fay neceffary, but) highly ufeful and beneficial for Edification? If it be not, why is there fuch an Office in our Common-Prayer Books? Why are we appointed to charge the Godfa thers and Godmothers to bring every Child we Baptize to be Confirmed by the Bishop as foon as he has been well inftructed in the Church Catechism? Why are we ordered to admit none to the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper but fuch as have been confirmed or are R 2

ready