seas. But let them all take counsel together, and let it come to nought; let them decree and thou cancel it; let them gather themselves and be scattered; let them embattle themselves and be broken; let them embattle and be broken, for thou art with us. Then, amidst the hymns and hallelujahs of saints, some one may perhaps be heard offering at high strains, in new and lofty measure to sing and celebrate thy divine mercies and marvellous judgements in this land throughout all ages;* whereby this great and warlike nation, instructed and inured to the fervent and continual practice of truth and righteousness, and casting far from her the rags of her whole vices, may press on hard to that high and happy emulation to be found the soberest, wisest, and most Christian people at that day, when thou, the eternal and shortlyexpected King, shalt open the clouds to judge the several kingdoms of the world, and distributing national honours and rewards to religious and just commonwealths, shalt put an end to all earthly tyrannies, proclaiming thy universal and mild monarchy through heaven and earth; where they undoubtedly that, by their labours, counsels and prayers, have been earnest for the common good of religion and their country, shall receive, above the inferior orders of the blessed, the regal additions of principalities, legions, and thrones into their glorious titles, and in supereminence of beatific vision, progressing the dateless and irrevoluble circle of eternity, shall clasp inseparable hands with joy and bliss in overmeasure for ever.†

But they contrary, that, by the impairing and diminution of the true faith, the distresses and servitude of their country, aspire to high dignity, rule, and promotion here, after a shameful end in this life—which God grant them!-shall be thrown down eternally into the darkest and deepest gulf of hell, where, under the despiteful control, the trample and spurn of all the other damned, that, in the anguish of their torture, shall have no other ease than to exercise a raving and bestial tyranny over them as their slaves and negroes,-they shall remain in that plight for ever, the basest, the lowermost, the most dejected, most underfoot, and downtrodden vassals of perdition.

Alluding to his meditated poem on a British theme.

Here we have Milton's ideas, at that time, of the Millennium or reign of Christ.

OF PRELATICAL EPISCOPACY.

Episcopacy, he observes, is either of divine or of human constitution. If of the latter, it may be changed like everything else; if asserted to be of the former, the proofs must be fetched from Scripture alone, as it alone is of divine authority. But in the New Testament no difference whatever is made between Bishop and Presbyter.

Yet, to verify that which St. Paul foretold of succeeding times, when men began to have itching ears, then, not contented with the plentiful and wholesome fountains of the Gospel, they began after their own lusts to heap to themselves teachers andas if the Divine Scripture wanted a supplement, and were to be eked out-they cannot think any doubt resolved, and any doctrine confirmed, unless they run to that indigested heap and fry of authors which they call Antiquity. Whatsoever Time or the heedless hand of blind Chance hath drawn down in her huge drag-net, whether fish or sea-weeds, shells or shrubs, unpicked, unchosen, these are the Fathers.

Milton then examines the testimony of the Fathers, as produced by Usher and Hall. He first shows that that of Leontius, bishop of Magnesia, is of no value whatever; on which occasion he speaks very slightingly of the ancient Councils, hinting, that the members of them may have been no better than those of modern Convocations; but that at all events their canons, acts, etc. have often been falsified. He quotes Eusebius to show, that in his time it was quite a matter of uncertainty who were left bishops of the churches by the Apostles; and from Justin Martyr he shows that the term Ipocoros might be used of any presbyter. Of the Epistles that go under the name of Ignatius, five, he says, are certainly spurious, and the remainder are so largely interpolated that it is impossible to say what is genuine. As to Irenæus,

who is brought to prove that Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna, because he had both seen and heard him, it is replied that he was only a boy at the time, and therefore hardly competent to judge. He was besides, as is shown by several instances-such as his putting implicit faith in the assertions of Papias-a man of such a shallow wit, that his judgement and critical skill are of little account. There is no proof that Tertullian made any distinction between Bishop and Presbyter.

But suppose he had made an imparity where none was originally, should he move us that goes about to prove an imparity between God the Father and God the Son? as these words import in his book against Praxeas: "The Father is the whole substance, but the Son a derivation and portion of the whole, as he himself. professes, 'Because the Father is greater than me."" Believe him now for a faithful relater of tradition, whom you see such an unfaithful expounder of the Scripture.

He that thinks it the part of a well-learned man to have read diligently the ancient stories of the Church, and to be no stranger to the volumes of the Fathers, shall have all judicious men. consenting with him. Not hereby to control and newfangle the Scripture, God forbid! but to mark how corruption and apostasy crept in by degrees, and to gather up wherever we find the remaining sparks of original truth wherewith to stop the mouths of our adversaries, and to bridle them with their own curb, who willingly pass by that which is orthodoxical in them, and studiously cull out that which is commentitious and best for their turns, not weighing the Fathers in the balance of Scripture, but Scripture in the balance of the Fathers. If we therefore, making first the Gospel our rule and oracle, shall take the good which we light on in the Fathers, and set it to oppose the evil which other men seek from them, in this way of skirmish we shall easily master all superstition and false doctrine. But if we turn this our discreet and wary usage of them into a blind devotion toward them and whatsoever we find written in them, we both forsake our own grounds and reasons which led us at first to part from Rome,-that is to hold to the Scriptures against all Antiquity; we remove our cause into our adversaries' own court, and take up there those cast prin

ciples, which will soon cause us to solder up with them again; inasmuch as, believing Antiquity for itself in any one point, we bring an engagement upon ourselves of assenting to all that it charges

upon us.

THE REASON OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT URGED

AGAINST PRELATY.

In the first book of this treatise Milton undertakes to prove that church-government is not a matter of indifference, but is set down in Scripture. He then argues at length against the position of Bishop Andrews and Archbishop Usher, that it is to be patterned by the Levitical Law, and finally shows that "Prelaty was not set up for prevention of schism, as is pretended; or that, if it were, it performs not what it was first set up for, but quite the contrary."

In the Introduction to the second book he gives the following most interesting justification of his own conduct in this controversy.

For me, I have determined to lay up as the best treasure and solace of a good old-age-if God vouchsafe it me-the honest liberty of free speech from my youth, where I shall think it available in so dear a concernment as the Church's good. For if I be, either by disposition or whatever cause, too inquisitive or suspicious of myself and mine own doings, who can help it? But this I foresee, that should the Church be brought under heavy oppression, and God have given me ability the while to reason against that man that should be the author of so foul a deed; or should she, by blessing from above on the industry and courage of faithful men, change this her distracted estate into better days, without the least furtherance or contribution of those few talents which God at that present had lent me, I foresee what stories I should hear within myself, all my life after, of discourage and reproach: "Timorous and ungrateful, the Church of God is now again at the foot of her insulting enemies, and thou bewailest. What matters it for thee or they bewailing? When time was,

thou couldst not find a syllable of all that thou hast read or studied to utter in her behalf. Yet ease and leisure was given thee for thy retired thoughts, out of the sweat of other men.* Thou hast the diligence, the parts, the language of a man, if a vain subject were to be adorned or beautified ; but when the cause of God and his Church was to be pleaded, for which purpose that tongue was given thee which thou hast,-God listened if he could hear thy voice among his zealous servants, but thou wast dumb as a beast. From henceforth be that which thine own brutish silence hath made thee." Or else I should have heard on the other ear: "Slothful and ever to be set light by, the Church hath now overcome her late distresses, after the unwearied labours of many her true servants that stood up in her defence. Thou also wouldst take upon thee to share amongst them of their joy. But wherefore thou? Where canst thou show any word or deed of thine which might have hastened her peace? Whatever thou dost now talk or write or look is the alms of other men's active prudence and zeal. Dare not now to say or do anything better than thy former sloth and infancy; or, if thou darest, thou dost impudently to make a thrifty purchase of boldness to thyself, out of the painful merits of other men. What before was thy sin is now thy duty, to be abject and worthless."

These and such-like lessons as these I know would have been

my matins duly and my even-song. But now by this little diligence mark what a privilege I have gained with good men and saints to claim my right of lamenting the tribulations of the Church, if she should suffer, while others, that have ventured nothing for her sake, have not the honour to be admitted mourners. But if she lift up her drooping head and prosper, among those that have something more than wished her welfare, I have my charter and freehold of rejoicing to me and my heirs. Concerning therefore this wayward subject against prelaty-the touching whereof is so distasteful and disquietous to a number of menas by what hath been said I may deserve of charitable readers to be credited, that neither envy nor gall hath entered me upon this controversy, but the enforcement of conscience only, and a pre*The fortune made by his father. This shows that Milton was in independent circumstances.

+ Alluding probably to Comus, etc.

In its original Latin sense, muteness, not speaking.