to determine of his own way, whatsoever the judgment of his superiors be, or whatsoever event befal him. For fince in cafe of confcience, many times there is a neceffity to fall either into the hands of men, or into the hands of God; of thefe two, whether is the beft, I leave every particu lar man to judge. Only I will add thus much : It is a fearful thing to trifle with confcience: For moft affuredly, according unto it a man fhalle ftand or fall at the laft.

For, by reafon of a paf-. fharply tasked epifcopal

One thorn more there is, which I would, if I might, pull out of the foot of him, who fhall tread upon that paper. fage there, wherein I ambition, I have been suspected by fome, into whofe hands that fchedule fell before ever it came to your Grace's view, that in my heart I did fecretly lodge a malignity against the episcopal order, and that, under pretence of taxing the antients, I fecretly lafhed at the present times. What obedience I owe unto epifcopal jurisdiction, I have already plainly and fincerely opened unto your Grace; and my truft is, you do believe me : So that in that regard, I intend to fay no more;. and the very confideration of the things themfelves which there I fpeak of, frees me from all fufpicion of fecret gliding at the prefent. For I fpake of fchifms arifing either out of plurality of

bishops

bishops in one diocefs, or fuperiority of bishops in fundry diocesses: Beth these are ftrangers to ours, and proper to the antient times; the first arifing from the unruliness of the people, in whofe hands in thofe times the nomination of bifhops was; the other, from fomewhat (whether good or bad I know not) in the princes then Jiving, who left the bishops to themselves, (among whom fome there were no better than other men,) and took no keep of the antient canons of the church, by which the limits, orders, and preeminences of all dioceffes and provinces were fet. But our times have feen a profperous change: For the nomination of bishops (which was fometimes in the people) is now most happily devolved into the prince's hand, together with the care of the prefervation of the bounds of bishops fees, and antient titles of precedency. So that now, fince that happy change, for well near one hundred years, we have had no experience of any fuch miforders; neither are we likely hereafter to fear any, fo long as so good, fo moderate, fo gracious a royal hand fhall, hold the ftern: which God grant may be either in hira, or his, till times be no more,

A

SERIOUS ENQUIRY

INTO THE

USE and IMPORTANCE

OF

External Religion.

OCCASIONED BY

Some Paffages in the Right Reverend the
Lord BISHOP of DURHAM's

Charge to the Clergy of that Diocefe,
At his Lordship's Primary Visitation in the
Year MDCCLI.

Humbly addreffed to his Lordship..

I cannot but hold truth more ancient than error; every thing to be firmeft upon it's own bottom; and all novelties in the church to be beft confuted by fhewing how far they cause it to deviate from the firft original. TWYSDEN's Hift. Vindication of the Church of ENGLAND.

First printed in the Year 1752.