OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 89 



churches, allowing the union of such as were too 

 small and adjacent, and again a computation to be 

 taken of the persons who were worthy to be pastors ; 

 and upon the said account if it fall out that there are 

 many more churches than pastors, then of necessity 

 recourse must be had to one of these remedies ; 

 either that pluralities must be allowed, especially if 

 you can by permutation make the benefices more 

 compatible ; or that there be allowed preachers to 

 have a more general charge, to supply and serve by 

 turn parishes unfurnished : for that some churches 

 should be provided of pastors able to teach, and 

 others wholly destitute, seemeth to me to be against 

 the communion of saints and Christians, and against 

 the practice of the primitive Church. 



TOUCHING THE ABUSE OF EXCOMMUNICATION. 



Excommunication is the greatest judgment upon 

 earth ; being that which is ratified in heaven ; and 

 being a precursory or prelusory judgment of the 

 great judgment of Christ in the end of the world. 

 And therefore for this to be used irreverently, and 

 to be made an ordinary process, to lackey up and 

 down for fees, how can it be without derogation to 

 God s honour, and making the power of the keys 

 contemptible ? 1 know very well the defence thereof, 

 which hath no great force ; that it issueth forth not 

 for the thing itself, but for the contumacy. I do 



