prudence, the courage and patience, that were necessary to a bishop, were very hard to be found all together. He instances, to make out the difficulty of discharging the duty of a bishop, in that single point, of managing the widows; who were so meddling, so immoral, so factious, and so clamorous, that this alone was enough to employ a bishop's prudence, and exercise his patience. From that, and another article relating to it concerning the virgins, he goes to consider the trouble, the difficulties and censures that bishops were subject to, by the hearing of causes that were referred to them; many pretending they were wronged by their judgments, made shipwreck of the faith in revenge; and they pressed so hard upon the bishop's time, that it was not possible for him to content them, and discharge the other parts of his duty. Then he reckons up the many visits that were expected from bishops, the several civilities they were obliged to; which it was hard to manage so, as not to be either too much or too little in them; matter of censure would be found in both extremes. Then he reflects on the great temper that ought to be observed in the final sentence of excommunication; between a gentleness to vice on the one hand, and the driving men to despair and apostacy on the other. And he concludes that book with reflections on the vast burden that fol- . lows the care of souls. In his fourth book he runs through a variety of arts and professions, and shews. how much skill and labour was necessary for every one of them: From whence he concludes strongly, that much more was necessary for that which was the most important of all others; so that no consideration whatsoever should make a man undertake it, if he did not

find himself in some sort qualified for it: More particularly he ought to be ready to give an account of his faith, and to stop the mouths of all gainsayers, Jews, Gentiles, and heretics; in which the ignorance of many bishops, carrying things from one extreme to another, had given great occasion to errors. A bishop must understand the stile and phrase of the scriptures well. From this he runs out into a very noble panegyric upon St. Paul, in whom a pattern was set to all bishops. His fifth book sets out the labour of preaching, the tentations to vanity in it, the censures that were apt to be made if there was either too much or too little art or eloquence in sermons. To this he adds the great exactness that a bishop should use in preserving his reputation, yet without vanity, observing a due temper between despising the censures of the multitude, and the servile courting of applauses. In his sermons he ought, above all things to study to edify, but not to flatter his hearers, or to use vain arts to raise esteem or admiration from them. Since a bishop, whose mind was not purged from this disease, must go through many tossings, and be much disquieted. And upon that he runs out so fully upon the tentations to desire applause for eloquence, and a readiness in speaking, that it plainly appears that he felt that to be his own weak side. The sixth book is chiefly employed to shew how much a harder thing it was to govern the church, than to live in a desert under the severest mortifications."

I will go no further in this abstract; I hope I have drawn out enough to give a curiosity to such as have not yet read those excellent books, to do it over

and over again: For to any that has a true relish, they can never be too often read: Every reading will afford a fresh pleasure, and new matter of instruction and meditation. But I go, in the last place, to offer St. Jerom's sense in this matter. I shall not bring together what lies scattered through his works upon this argument, nor shall I quote what he writ in his youth upon it; when the natural flame of his temper, joined with the heat of youth, might make him carry his thoughts further than what human nature could bear: But I shall only give an abstract of that which he writ to Nepotion on this head, in his old age, as he says himself, a good part of that Epistle being a reflection upon the different sense that old age gives of these things, from that which he felt during the ardour of youth.

He begins with the title clerk, which signifying a lot or portion "Imports either that the clergy are God's portion, or that God is theirs, and that therefore they ought to possess God, and be possessed of him. He that has this portion must be satisfied with it, and pretend to nothing but having food and raiment, be therewith content, and (as men carried their crosses naked, so) to be ready to carry his. He must not seek the advantages of this world in Christ's warfare. Some clerks grew richer under Christ, who made himself poor, than ever they could have been if they had continued in the service of the God of this world; so that the church groaned under the wealth of those who were beggars before they forsook the world, Let the strangers and the Poor be fed at your tables, says he, and in these you entertain Christ himself. When you see a trafficking clerk, who from being poor grows rich, and from being mean

becomes great, fly from him as from a plague. The conversation of such men corrupted good minds; they sought after wealth, and loved company, the public places of conversation, fairs, and market places; whereas a true clerk loves silence and retirement. Then he gives him a strong caution against conversing with women, and in particular against all those mean compliances which some of those clerks used towards rich women, by which they got not only presents during their lives, but legacies by their wills. That abuse had grown to such an intolerable excess, that a law was made, exclu-. ding priests from having any benefit by testaments. They were the only persons that were put under that incapacity. Heathen priests were not included in the law, yet he does not complain of the law, but of those who had given just occasion for making it. The laws of Christ had been contemned, so it was necessary to restrain them by human laws. It was the glory of a bishop to provide for the poor, but it was the reproach of a priest to study the enriching of himself. He reckons up many instances of the base and abject flattery of some clerks, to gain upon rich and dying persons, and to get their estates. Next he exhorts him to the constant and diligent study of the scriptures; but to be sure to do nothing that should contradict his discourses, or give occasion to is hearers to answer him thus, Why do not you do as you say? Then he speaks of the union that ought to be between the bishop and his clergy: The affection on the one side, and the obedience on the other. In preaching he must not study to draw applauses, but groans from his hearers. Their tears was the best sort of commendation of a sermon, in which great care

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was to be taken to avoid the methods of the stage, or of common declamations. Great use was to be made of the scriptures. The mysteries of our faith and the sacraments of our religion ought to be well explained: : Grimaces and solemn looks are often made use of to give weight and authority to that which has none in itself. He charges him to use a plain simplicity in his habit, neither shewing too much nicety on the one hand, that savours of luxury, nor such a neglect on the other, as might savour of affectation. He recommends particularly the care of the poor to him. Then he speaks of clergymen mutually prefering one another; considering that there are different members in one body, and that every one has his own function and peculiar talent: And that therefore no man ought to over-value his own, or under-value his neighbours. A plain clerk ought not to value himself upon his simplicity and ignorance, nor ought a learned and eloquent man to measure his holiness by his rhetoric, for indeed of the two, a holy simplicity is much more valuable, than unsanctified eloquence. He speaks against the affectation of magnificence and riches, in the worship of God, as things more becoming the pomp of the Jewish religion, than the humanity of the spiritual doctrine of Christ. He falls next upon the high and sumptuous way of living of some priests, which they pretended was necessary to procure them the respect that was due to them, and to give them interest and credit: But the world, at least the better part of it, would always value a priest more for his holiness, than for his wealth. He charges him strictly to avoid all the excesses of wine, and in opposition to that to fast much, but without superstition, or nicety