III. This famous church was that of Diana át Ephefus; and I wot, in this church there was many a good living in the gift of the univerfity; and I trow, that the Heads of Houses were very careful that none should. enjoy one of them unless he was well known to be a true fon of the church, that is to say, a promoter of the fale of the fhrines of Diana, and a worshipper of the image that fell down from Jupiter.

This Diana was, in her day, a lady remarkable for hunting of ftags, and ever fince, her clergy have been as remarkable for the hunting of (not ftags, but) a good benefice. Now, my beloved, this fame huntress was the perfonage worshipped by most people of Afia, and fhe had many, very many clergy, who adored her for the fake of gain; for by this craft we have our wealth, laid they. A language not yet practically laid afide.

There was a famous univerfity for the training up of young gentlemen in the holy craft of making fhrines for the goddefs; and a lucrative craft they found it, my beloved, for they had it in their power to fell a brazen fhrine for a golden price; a thing which others befides them practife.

This university was at Ephefus, a very populous city, where water was cheap, but fire very dear; and here were many colleges and halls for the training up of young men in the craft of getting wealth. Every hall had a Head, and over all the Heads of Houses was a Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Dr. Demetrius

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Demetrius by name. As for praying, reading and expounding the fcriptures, they meddled not with them, but were, to the highest degree, intent upon getting wealth.

Well, they carried on this craft for many years, til at laft there came fome itinerant preachers to town, who made it their bufinefs to pray to God, to read and expound the fcriptures, and fing hymns in private houses, contrary to the fenfe of the university of Ephefus. This was no fmall mortification to the clergy, who very well knew that if real religion, or praying, reading and expounding the fcriptures were tolerated, that it would put an end to their lucrative priestcraft, and their reverences would fall into difgrace. But to prevent fuch a catastrophe the reverend Dr. Demetrius, Vice Chancellor, affembled the Heads of Houses to confult what was beft to be done, and it was refolved, nemine contradicente, to cry out, the church was in danger, that, under pretence of faving the church, they might fave their own profits. Well, they cried out, that the church was in danger, that the church was in danger, till they had fufficiently enflamed the rabble, who have always proved the pillars of the church, when inftigated by the PRIESTS: then they laid hold on the itinerants, and had them before the Heads of Houses, who gave them fuch treatment as praying people may expect to meet with from the clergy of the It happened however, as in a late cafe, that there was one man of integrity and honour amongst

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amongst them, much like the Head of Edmund-hall, only with this difference, the one was a Notary-public, and the other is a gentleman in holy orders. Well, this attorney, it feems, being town-clerk of Ephesus, thought that the clergy carried their authority a little beyond the rules of moderation and decency, a thing by no means uncommon for fome gentlemen of the cap and gown. This townclerk took up the caufe of the itinerants; and, in a spirited, fenfible manner, defended their conduct and tenets; not from the thirty-nine articles, but from the articles of natural religion and morality, and spake very highly of their piety and good behaviour. I cannot but remark, that in this affair the town-clerk was more fuccessful than the gentleman who pleaded the caufe of the fix methodists at Oxford: the former overruled the purposes of Diana's clergy, but the Univerfity clergy overruled the motion of the latter, according to our text; for, though he defended their doctrine from the thirtynine articles of the established church, and fpoke very highly of the piety and the exemplarinefs of their lives, Thefe fix young men were expelled the university for praying, reading, and expounding the fcriptures, and for finging hymns in a private houfe. For why? Why, truly, my beloved, because praying, reading, and expounding the fcriptures, is not the craft by which we get our wealth. For proof of this propofition, I refer you to ftubborn facts, namely, that you shall seldom fee a divine, who makes a point of praying,

reading,

reading, and expounding the fcriptures, and of finging hymns either in private or public houses, who keeps his equipage, and poffeffeth your fat, fat livings. I wot, my beloved, that one drone eats more honey than four laborious bees; for proof of this, I refer you to the reverend Dr. Pliny, an author of approved merit and a great divine.

But I pass on to the fourth established church, the clergy of which, in all refpects, poffeffed the spirit of University, divines, or Heads of Houfes; and I trow, it is a church of great pretenfions, the clergy of which are as infallible as the most holy mother Pope Joan, that lady who was Chrift's vicar, Peter's fucceffor, and carried the keys of heaven, hell and purgatory, in her pocket, when she was in her prime, and her moon. fhone at full. I guefs, by this time, you know that I mean the good old, one, catholic, roman, infallible, pontifical, univerfal mother church, in the bofom of which our forefathers of the furcingle flept fo fnug, wrapt about with abbey lands, as with warm blankets. And if I may fpeak the fentiments of my fable brethren of the University, we wifh, for the fake of those lands, that we were all fafe rolling in her warm bofom once more. But I will not keep you in fufpence about this.

IV. Church, the conduct of whose clergy was fo near a kin to the conduct of the clergy In the days of Betfey, the veftal queen, the clergy fuffered great difcontent. For why? Because praying, reading,

of

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and fcripture expounding people were fuffered to live, and were even tolerated in the univerfity, which was a kind of counterbalance to the emolument their reverences had enjoyed in the days of Mary, of scarlet memory; for as foon as this orthodox lady had afcended the throne, matters took a very agreeable turn, and the right reverend bishops, Bonner and Gardiner, began to work for the good of the church. Like true-bred Doctors, they fearched every corner of the land for matter to work upon; and who fhould they pitch upon, trow ye, but those minifters and others who prayed to God, read and expounded the fcriptures, and fung hymns? For thofe clergymen were much like unto others, they difcouraged praying to any befides faints cannonized in their own church; and as for the fcriptures, they found it for their intereft that the fenfe of them should be concealed. And no doubt other people of the fame practices have reafons equally ponderous to affign for their conduct.

Who was Crammer, my beloved? Why truly, though he was primate of England, he took upon him to pray, read, and expound the scriptures, and as one fuch, according to the laws of Trent council, he was expelled the convocation, and burnt to death as an enemy to the clergy. Latimer, and Ridley, and Hooper, and Taylor, and Bradford, and Hunter, and Philpot, &c. &c. &c. were all of them guilty of those heinous offences of praying, of reading, of expound

ing