21

MATTHEW WREN, D. D.

what Stile to give this War; without doubt, my Lords, this was no holyWar.

The Weapons of this Warfare were thirty-eight Injunctions, one Hundredthirty-nine Articles, containing eight Hundred seventy-nine Questions,

The Soldiers were Chancellors, Commissaries, Officials, Commiffioner 9 ,Rural Deans, &c.

Himself commanded in chief.

The Ways of assault and killing were by Excommunications, Suspensions,Deprivations,—I stop here, Mille modis morinmr mortales.

The Magazine wherein all these were originally hatched and lodg’d, was thesuperstitious and malicious Breast of this Bishop.

This Diocese was the Stage, where the direful Tragedies of this War wereacted, by the Space of two Years and upwards

Thus did he trouble Israel in the Time of Peace; nay, by these he putsome of the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel to Flight j out of these heraised a Farm of 500 Pounds for his primary Visitation, if it be consider’dcum pertinentih, it was not dear, yet well improv’d, for formerly but 40Pounds in the Time of some of his Predeceslors.

Will it please your Lordships, with Patience to cast your Eyes upon theModel of this Bishop’s Zeal, Piety, and Religion ? Let his Affection to Prayerand Preaching, speak for all the rest.

Firs for Prayer. It was his hap to find a Prayer which is no Prayer, pre-tended to be prescrib’d by a Canon which is no Canon, I mean the 55thCanon, set forth in the Year 1603, and no other Prayer must be used in hisDiocese before Sermons. That Monster of conceiv’d Prayer (pardon the Ex-pression, it’s not my own) seem’d as bad to him as a Spell or Charm ; it vmust not be used upon any Occasion. Without Doubt, he would never havebeen so strait laced and severe in this Particular, if he had but dream’d ofthat Strait which a Minister, a Friend of his, was put to by this Means j theStory is short.

A Butcher was gored in the Belly by an Ox, the Wound was cured, theParty desired publick Thanksgiving in the Congregation, the Minister findingno Form for that Purpose, reads the Collects for Churching of Women.

Next for Preaching., That he is most able in this Kind is agreed by all:But that he ever preach d in this Diocese, save once, I never heard affinn’dby any.

His next Care was, that others should not preach too often ; if they did,they must be put into his black Bill: He changed that golden Sentence ofVœ viibi, Ji non prœdica n cero, into Va aliis , Ji pradicaverint ; he was so farfrom the Practice of St. Paul, the great Preacher of the Gentiles, who, weread preach’d till Midnight, that there must be no Sermons in the After-noon ; there may be, nay, there must be Sports and Pastimes then. And,as if lie stood in fear of the inarticulate Language of Bells, which mightforetel a Sermon, he cannot endure to hear the Noise of a Sermon in theToll of a Bell.

In a Word, he adorn’d Churches at the Charge of other Men ; and fpoil’dPulpits, which ought to have been the greatest Part of his own Charge.

My Lords, you have now presented to your Lordships a Brother, nay, onewhose Place engag’d him to be a Father of the Clergy, yet one who like Jo-seph's Brethren, hath taken the Coats from Joseph nay, they were forced tofiy from him as Joseph from his Mistress, or else they must taste of his for-bidden Waters j but in their going'away, he rents their Skirts, nay, theirwhole Garments and Livelihoods from them; he hath taken the Locks from

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