were addressed to saints and angels, contrary to 1686-94. Scripture, and the practice of the primitive church. It must be owned, that Dr. Bull was indeed a very frank asserter of some primitive truths, upon which are built several errors of the church of Rome; and the sermons, which are now printed, will furnish the. reader with several instances of this remark. Now among those who cannot or will not distinguish the foundation from the hay and stubble that is built upon it, we must not wonder if he was thought too much inclining to the church of Rome; which unjust censure was confirmed by his exact conformity to the rules of the church of England, in a place where the people were under great prejudices, both against her discipline and Liturgy. But this calumny hath been thrown upon the greatest lights of our church, and upon one of the best men that ever swayed the sceptre of Great Britain, and will be the fate of many more, who shall zealously contend for the primitive doctrines and discipline of Christianity; and surely, if that excellent prince, king Charles the First, and that primitive prelate, archbishop Laud, could not escape the load of such malicious and groundless imputations, it is not to be wondered if others, who pursue their steps, and tread in their paths of religion, though they move in a much inferior sphere, meet with the same obloquy and reproach which they so severely felt. But yet in the day of any trial, the men of this character will be found the best defenders of the church of England, and the boldest champions against the corruptions of the church of Rome. How little Dr. Bull deserved this reflection, appeared now by his courage and resolution, in attacking those pernicious

1686-94. errors, which he apprehended might gain ground by the authority and favour of a prince upon the throne, who was unhappily engaged in that communion. For Dr. Bull, like a vigilant and conscientious pastor, warned his people of the approaching danger, supplied them with arguments for the hour of temptation, confirmed them in the principles of the protestant religion, and made them sensible how much it was their duty, rather to expose themselves to any temporal sufferings, than embrace such principles and practices, as tended to hazard the salvation of their immortal souls.

He was made a

justice of

the revolu

tion.

Some time after the revolution, Dr. Bull was put into the commission of the peace, in which he conpeace after tinued, with some little interruption, till he was made a bishop. The main inducement, which prevailed upon him to act in a secular post, was, that he might have an opportunity to put the laws in execution against immorality and profaneness; that those whom he could not convince by his arguments, nor persuade by his affectionate way of enforcing them, might be terrified into better manners by the sword of justice which was put into his hands. To this purpose, though he declined meddling in other matters, which no ways were subservient to his own profession, yet he was vigorous in suppressing vice and immorality, and by the help of some clergymen in his neighbourhood, who procured him informations against common swearers, drunkards, and profaners of the Lord's day, he was very successful. I know this work of reformation of manners, as under the care and management of a society for that purpose, lieth under some prejudices, even with sober and understanding persons; but I believe it

chiefly proceedeth from some false stories, which 1686-94. have been raised on purpose to discredit the undertaking; which calumnies and slanders having been too easily believed, have thrown contempt upon the whole work, so good in itself, and so necessary for the welfare of the community; for I cannot apprehend what service the best laws can do the public, if the execution of them is discountenanced. All that can be desired in this case is, that an impartial inquiry may be made into such reports as bear hard upon the proceedings of the society; and I am very much inclined to think, that generally they will be found false; which opinion I ground upon the experience I have made of this kind myself; I am sure they cannot be justly condemned, till they have been admitted to a fair hearing; and if some little indiscretion should be discovered in the management of some, there is no reason that should be made a handle to disparage all such useful proceedings. It must be owned, that it requireth great courage and resolution, to get the better of that opposition, which a man is sure to meet with in affairs of this nature, from the world and the Devil. It requireth a zeal according to knowledge, to act in this matter from a principle of religion, without any mixture of malice or self-interest; and great prudence and circumspection is necessary to determine the best manner of doing this good work; but above all, the strictness of their own lives must support that zeal, which is shewn for the reformation of others. And I have great reason to think, that these excellent qualifications have not been wanting in several gentlemen, who have consulted together, to give a check to those disorderly walkers that

1686-94. abound among us. I am sure they have been at great charges to support the expenses of legal proceedings, and to defend constables from being maliciously and falsely prosecuted, and to make them some reparation for the unreasonable abuses they have met with upon such occasions; though they who have lost their lives in discharge of their oath and duty, by endeavouring to detect and suppress vice and immorality, as it is certain some have done, must expect their reward at a higher tribunal. It is true indeed, that by the blessing of God upon their vigorous proceedings, great numbers of lewd persons have been brought to legal punishment, and others have been forced to abscond, in order to escape the terror of the laws; by which means, several sinners have been recovered to a sense of their follies, and reclaimed from their wicked practices; at least bad examples have been removed out of sight, and public scandals have not been so frequent. Which is sufficient to entitle all those, who labour in this difficult province, to the prayers and good wishes and substantial encouragement of all those who are concerned for the welfare of their country, and have the honour of God at heart.

1694.

cium Ec

tholicæ

LXVI. In the year 1694, Dr. Bull, while rector His Judi- of Avening, published his Judicium Ecclesiæ Caclesia Catholicæ, &c. which was printed at Oxford, and written in defence of the Anathema, as his former book gainst Epi- had been of the Faith, pronounced at the first council of Nice. The occasion of writing this treatise was, that in his reading the 34th chapter of the fourth book of the Institutions of Episcopius, where he treateth concerning the necessity of be

scopius.

lieving the manner of the divine filiation of Jesus 1694. Christ, and putteth this question, "Whether the "fifth (and highest) manner of Christ's being the "Son of God be necessary to be known and be

66

lieved, and whether they who deny the same are "to be excommunicated and anathematized?" he made some remarks hereupon for his own private use, and drew up an answer to the arguments of that learned writer, whereby he was persuaded, that the primitive catholics did not refuse communion with those that received not the article of the divine generation or filiation of Jesus Christ, if they acknowleged him to be the Son of God, by his miraculous conception of the Holy Ghost, by virtue of his mediatorial office, by his resurrection from the dead, and by his exaltation to sit at the right hand of God the Father.

ter of Epi

his motives

Episcopius, as our author hath observed, was a His characman of great natural parts, and more than commonly scopius, and learned in many things; but he was one who very to write little consulted or cared for the writings of the an-against him. cient Fathers; yea, plainly despised them. Whence, writing against Wading the Jesuit, who made a mighty boast of the Fathers and councils, as if they were all generally on his side against the protestants, he took him up short, telling him once for all, that he was mistaken in thinking to draw him into such an endless maze and labour, at which he must work like a mill-horse, for the sake only of an empty name: and that he did not envy those, who had a mind to be always roving and fluctuating in that ocean of councils and Fathers, and to be laying out upon them all their time and pains, the glory of being esteemed for their vast reading and