76 OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 



bishops, none of these reasons hold. For, first, their 

 office is elective, and for life, and not patrimonial or 

 hereditary ; an office merely of confidence, science, 

 and qualification. And for the second reason, it is 

 true, that their jurisdiction is ample, and spacious; 

 and that their time is to he divided between the 

 labours as well in the word and doctrine, as in go 

 vernment and jurisdiction : but yet I do not see, 

 supposing the bishop s courts to be used incorruptly, 

 and without any indirect course held to multiply 

 causes for gain of fees, but that the bishop might very 

 well, for causes of moment, supply his judicial func 

 tion in his own person. For we see before our eyes, 

 that one chancellor of England dispatcheth the suits 

 in equity of the whole kingdom : which is not so 

 much by reason of the excellency of that rare ho 

 nourable person which now holdeth the place : but 

 it was ever so, though more or less burdenous to the 

 suitor, as the chancellor was more or less able to give 

 dispatch. And if hold be taken of that which was 

 said before, that the bishop s labour in the word 

 must take up a principal part of his time ; so I may 

 say again, that matters of state have ever taken up 

 most of the chancellor s time ; having been for the 

 most part persons upon whom the kings of this realm 

 have most relied for matters of counsel. And there 

 fore there is no doubt but the bishop, whose circuit 

 is less ample, and the causes in nature not so multi 

 plying, with the help of references and certificates to 

 and from fit persons, for the better ripening of causes 

 in their mean proceedings, and such ordinary helps 



