commandment of the Lord by his
prophets." And who doubteth but kings may command such things as God hath
commanded before them?

_Sect._ 8. The next example which the Bishop allegeth is out of 2 Chron.
xxxv. where we read that Josias did set the priests and Levites again in
their charges, which example cannot prove that kings have the supreme
power of governing ecclesiastical causes, unless it be evinced that Josias
changed those orders and courses of the Levites and priests which the Lord
had commanded by his prophets, 2 Chron. xxix. 25, and that he did
institute other orders by his own regal authority, whereas the contrary is
manifest from the text; for Josias did only set the priests and Levites
those charges and courses which had been assigned unto them after the
writing of David and Solomon, ver. 4, and by the commandment of David, and
Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's seer, ver. 15. Neither did
Josias command the priests and Levites any other service than that which
was written in the book of Moses, ver. 12; so that, from his example, it
only followeth, that when princes see the state of ecclesiastical persons
corrupted, they ought to interpose their authority for reducing them to
those orders and functions which God's word commandeth.

_Sect._ 9. Moreover, the Bishop objecteth the example of Joash, who, while
he yet did right in the days of Jehoiada the priest, 2 Chron. xxiv. sent
the priests and Levites to gather from all Israel money for repairing the
house of the Lord, and when they dealt negligently in this business, he
transferred the charge of the same unto others, and, making himself the
keeper of the holy money, did both prescribe how it was to be disbursed,
and likewise take from good Jehoiada the priest the administration of the
same. Now, where he hath read that Joash made himself the keeper of the
money, and prescribed how it should be disbursed, also that he took the
administration from Jehoiada, I cannot guess; for the text hath no such
thing in it, but the contrary, viz. that the king's scribe, and the high
priest's officer, kept the money, and disbursed the same, as the king and
Jehoiada prescribed unto them. As to that which he truly allegeth out of
the holy text, I answer, 1. The collection for repairing the house of the
Lord was no human ordinance, for Joash showeth the commandment of Moses
for it, ver. 6, having reference to Exod. xxx. 12-14. No other collections
did Joash impose but