"the root of all was men's private animosities. These "things had exposed the Christian religion to the hatred "of the heathen, and had given even the Christians them"selves very hard thoughts of the clergy: this was grown "to that height, that they were then acted and repre"sented upon the stage, and made the subject of the peo66 ple's scorn: so that by their means the name of God "was blasphemed. This was that which gave him much "sadder apprehensions, than all that could be feared from "that wild beast, that was then beginning to vex and per"secute the church, (by which probably Julian is meant ;) "the comfortable prospect of dying for the name of Christ "made that a persecution was not so dreadful a thing, in "his account, as the sins, the divisions, and distractions of "Christians." This then was the reason that had made him fly to the wilderness; for the state of the church had made him despond, and lose all his courage: he had also gone thither, that he might quite break himself to all his appetites and passions, and to all the pleasures and concerns of this life, that did darken the shinings of the divine image upon his soul, and the emanations of the heavenly light. When he considered the judgments of God upon bad priests, and many other strict rules in the old dispensation, and the great obligations that lay upon those who were the priests of the living God, and that ought, before they presumed to offer up other sacrifices, to begin with the oblation of themselves to God; he was, upon all these reasons, moved to prepare himself by so long a retreat.

I have given this long abstract of his Apologetical Oration, not only to set before my reader the sense that he had of the sacred functions, but likewise to shew what were the corruptions of that age, and with how much freedom this holy father laid them open. If there is any occasion for applying any part of this to the present age, or to any persons in it, I chose rather to offer it in the words of this great man, than in any of my own. I wish few were concerned in them; and that such as are would make a due application of them to themselves, and save others the trouble of doing it more severely.

I go next to another father of the Greek church, St. Chrysostom, whose books of the priesthood have been ever reckoned among the best pieces of antiquity. The occasion of writing them was this: he had lived many years in great friendship with Basil; at last, they having both dedicated themselves to sacred studies, the clergy of Antioch had resolved to lay hold on them, and to use that

holy violence which was in those times often done to the best men, and to force them to enter into orders. Which when Basil told Chrysostom, he concealed his own intentions, but pressed Basil to submit to it; who, from that, believing that his friend was of the same mind, did not go out of the way, and so he was laid hold on; but Chrysostom had hid himself. Basil, seeing he could not be found, did all that was possible to excuse himself: but that not being accepted of, he was ordained. Next time that he met his friend, he expostulated severely with him for having forsaken him upon that occasion: this gave the occasion to those books, which are pursued in the way of a dialogue.

The first book contains only the preparatory discourses, according to the method of such writings. In the second he runs out to shew from our Saviour's words to St. Peter, Simon, lovest thou me? "what tender and fervent love "both to Christ and to his church a priest ought to feel in "himself, before he enters upon the feeding those sheep, "which Christ has purchased with his own blood. To "lose the souls of the flock first, and then one's own soul, "through remissness, was no light matter. To have both "the powers of darkness and the works of the flesh to fight "against, required no ordinary measure both of strength "and courage. He pursues the allegories of a shepherd "and a physician, to shew, by the parallel of these laid "together, the labours and difficulties of the priesthood, "especially when this authority was to be maintained only "by the strength of persuasion; and yet sometimes se66 vere methods must be taken, like incisions to prevent 66 gangrenes, or to cut off a part already corrupted. In the 66 managing this, great art and prudence was necessary; "a bishop ought to have a great and generous, a patient "and undaunted mind: therefore, Chrysostom says that " he found, though he truly loved his Saviour, yet he was 66 so afraid to offend him, that he durst not undertake a "charge, that he did not yet judge himself qualified for. It was not enough that a man was tolerably well esteemed "by others; he ought to examine himself: for that of a "bishop's being well reported of, is but one of many cha"racters, declared necessary by St. Paul. He complains "much that those who raised men to orders, had more re"gard to rank and wealth, and to much time spent in a "vain search into profane learning, (though Christ chose "fishermen and tent-makers,) than to true worth, and an "earnest zeal for the real good of the church. In the

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"third book, he runs out with a great compass on the "praises of the priestly function; he looked upon it as a "dignity raised far above all the honours of this world, " and approaching to the angelical glory. A priest ought "to aspire to a purity above that of other mortals, answer"ing that of angels. When a priest performs the holy 66 functions, is sanctifying the holy eucharist, and is offer❝ing a crucified Christ to the people, his thoughts should 66 carry him heavenwards, and as it were translate him into "those upper regions. If the Mosaical priest was to be 66 holy, that offered up sacrifices of a lower order, how "much holier ought the priests of this religion to be, to "whom Christ has given the power both of retaining and forgiving of sins! But if St. Paul, after all his visions " and labours, after all his raptures and sufferings, yet was "inwardly burnt up with the concerns of the church, " and laboured with much fear and trembling, how much 66 greater apprehensions ought other persons to have of "such a trust! If it were enough to be called to this "function, and to go through with the duties incumbent 66 on it in some tolerable manner, the danger were not great but when the duty, as well as dignity, together "with the danger belonging to it, are all laid together, a "man is forced to have other thoughts of the matter. No man that knows he is not capable of conducting a ship, ❝ will undertake it, let him be pressed to it never so much. "Ambitious men, that loved to set themselves forward, "were of all others the most exposed to temptations: they "were apt to be inflamed by the smallest provocations, to "be glad at the faults of others, and troubled if they saw any do well; they courted applause, and aspired to honour; they fawned on great persons, and trod on those "that were below them; they made base submissions, "undecent addresses, and often brought presents to those "in authority; they durst not in any sort reprove them "for their faults, though they reproached the poor out of "measure for their failings. These were not the natural "consequences of the dignity of the priesthood; but un"worthy and defiled persons, who, without true merit, ❝ had been advanced to it, had brought it under reproach. "There had been no due care used in the choice of bi"shops, and by the means of bad choices the church was "almost ruined, through the gross ignorance and unwor"thiness of many in that post. Certainly a worthy priest "has no ambitious aspirings; those who fly to this dignity "from that base principle, will give a full vent to it when

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"they have attained it. If submissions, flatteries, and money itself are necessary, all will be employed; there "fore it was an indispensable preparation to it, that one "should be duly sensible of the greatness of the trust, "and of his own unfitness for it, that so he might neither "vehemently desire it, nor be uneasy if he should happen "to be turned out of it. A man may desire the office of a bishop, when he considers it is a work of toil and la"bour; but nothing is more pestiferous than to desire it "because of the power and authority that accompanies it. "Such persons can never have the courage that ought "to shew itself in the discharge of their duty, in the re"proving of sin, and venturing on the indignation of great 66 men. He confesses he had not yet been able to free his "mind from that disease, and, till he had subdued it, he "judged himself bound to fly from all the steps to pre"ferment: for the nearer he should come to it, he reck"oned the appetite to it would rage the higher within "him; whereas the way to break it quite, was to keep "himself at the greatest distance from it. Nor had he "that vivacity, or lively activity of temper, which became "this function; nor that softness and gentleness of mind, "that was necessary to prepare him to bear injuries, to "endure contempt, or to treat people with the mildness "that Christ has enjoined his followers, which he thought 66 more necessary to a bishop than all fastings, or bodily "mortifications whatsoever. And he runs out into a long "digression upon the great mischiefs that a fretful and "spiteful temper did to him that was under the power of "it, and to the church, when a bishop was soured with it. "It will often break out, it will be much observed, and "will give great scandal: for as a little smoke will darken "and hide the clearest object; so if all the rest of a bi"shop's life were brighter than the beams of the sun, a "little blemish, a passion or indiscretion, will darken all, " and make all the rest be forgotten. Allowances are not "made to them as to other men; the world expects great "things from them, as if they had not flesh and blood in "them, not a human, but an angelical nature; therefore a "bishop ought, by a constant watchfulness, and a per"petual strictness, to be armed with armour of proof on "all sides, that no wound may hurt him. Stories will be "easily believed to his disadvantage, and his clergy about "him will be ready to find them out, and to spread them "abroad. He lays this down for a certain maxim, That every man knows himself best; and therefore, what

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"soever others might think of him, he who knew well that "he had not in himself those qualifications that were ne"cessary for this function, ought not to suffer himself to be "determined by that. After this he lays open the great "disorders, factions, partialities, and calumnies, with which "the popular elections were at that time managed, and the general corruption that had overrun the whole church; so that the strictness and authority, the gentleness and "prudence, the courage and patience, that were necessary "to a bishop, were very hard to be found altogether. 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 hear66 ing of causes that were referred to them; many, pre"tending 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 apostasy on the other. And he concludes that book "with reflections on the vast burden that follows the care "of souls. In his fourth book he runs through a variety "of arts and professions, and shews how much skill and la"bour 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 style and phrase of the