40 OF CHURCH CONTROVERSIES. 



rebuke thee. The Apostle St. Paul, though against 

 him that did pollute sacred justice with tyrannous 

 violence, did justly denounce the judgment of God, 

 saying, &quot; Percutiet te Dominus,&quot; the Lord will strike 

 thee ; yet in saying &quot; paries dealbate,&quot; he thought 

 he had gone too far, and retracted it : whereupon a 

 learned father said, &quot; ipsum quamvis inane nomen, 

 et umbram sacerdotis expavit.&quot; 



The ancient councils and synods, as is noted by 

 the ecclesiastical story, when they deprived any 

 bishop, never recorded the offence ; but buried it in 

 perpetual silence : only Cham purchased his curse 

 by revealing his father s disgrace ; and yet a much 

 greater fault is it to ascend from their person to 

 their calling, and draw that in question. Many good 

 fathers spake rigorously and severely of the unwor- 

 thiness of bishops ; as if presently it did forfeit, and 

 cease their office. One saith, &quot; Sacerdotes nomina- 

 mur, et non sumus,&quot; we are called priests, but priests 

 we are not. Another saith, &quot; Nisi bonum opus am- 

 plectaris, episcopus esse non potes ;&quot; except thou 

 undertake the good work, thou canst not be a 

 bishop ; yet they meant nothing less than to move 

 doubt of their calling or ordination. 



The second occasion of controversies, is the na 

 ture and humour of some men. The Church never 

 wanteth a kind of persons, which love the salutation 

 of Rabbi, master ; not in ceremony or compliment, 

 but in an inward authority which they seek over 

 men s minds, in drawing them to depend upon their 

 opinions, and to seek knowledge at their lips. These 



