fhop, upon all Occafions, was wont to Confult with; however they ceased not to be Presbyters of the Diocefan Church, and still retained a dependency on the Bishop, and had a right to be advised and confulted with in Matters relating to the Diocess. And from hence they were also wont to be assembled once or twice a Year in Diocefan Synods: of which my Lord Bifhop of Lincoln has given us the following Ac

count.

*That the Bishop of every Diocefs has, by State of the • Divine Commiffion, a Power to Govern the Church and Clergy of England, p. Church of Chrift, over which he is placed; and 23. ❝ in order thereunto to call together the Presbyters which Minifter under him, was the conftant fenfe of all the Councils and Fathers of 'the Church. They have not only allowed of 'this Power, but have directly the exercise of it, and commanded the Bishop from time to time, to put it in Execution.

'How often every Bishop was obliged to as

femble his Diocefan Synod, (a) the Canons of the (a) Spel. Concil. 'Church inform us: which generally ordain- Vol. 2. p. 1.

ed, that these Councils fhould be held at least

once every Year, and obliged the Clergy under

'the feverest Penalties to be prefent at them. 'In the ancient Formulary for holding of these

fiod. An. $78. Can. 7.

To 1. p. 293.

(b) Synods among us, the Order is, that they (6) Concil. Anti'fhould be Convened twice in the Year; and this 'feems to have been the ancient Measure of them. (c) The Synod of Calcyth fettled it (c) Spel. Concil. betimes here; And if we may rely on the can. 3. An. 787. • Worcester Copy of the Synod of Winchester, (d) (a) Ib. p. 12. 'An. 1076, we must look upon this to have 'there again had a publick Determination. ''Tis true, in the Cotton M. S. the Decree is more general; That every Bishop fhould hold a

• Synod

(a) Ib. p. 436. cap. 3.

(b) Dist. 18. c.

16. 18. q. 2. c.

Lib. 1. Tit. 13. De Offic. Jud. Ordin. cap. item ftatuimus. voce Synodis.

(d) Reformat.

C

and

Synod every Year: And yet above two hun'dred Years after, in the Constitutions of the Bishop of Durham, (a) Anno 1312; The ProC portion of two yearly Synods, was not only eftablished as a Rule for that Bishoprick, but was faid to have been established according to Canonical Sanctions, which therefore feem to have yet continued in a general Force C among us. But the common Direction of 'the (b) Canon Law was to have fuch Synods held once in the Year: And this (c) Lyndwood feems to Abbates. concil. deliver as the Rule of our Church too; Arelat. Can. 4. (c) Provincial. there is this Reason to believe, that by this time it was become fo, that when the Reformation was made of the Ecclefiaftical Canons, then in force in this Church; (d) This was the Proportion which we find was intended Leg. Ecc. & Mi to have been continued by those, to whom the Review of thofe Canons was committed. To this Synod all the Clergy, who had 'Benefice within the Diocess, were obliged to come. (e) And fo were the Regulars too, as well Abbots as Monks; excepting only thofe 'who in procefs of Time, were exempted from Epifcopal Jurifdiction. And even Thofe, (f) if they had any Benefices, by reafon whereof they became fubject to the Authority of the Bishop, were obliged upon the Account of fuch their Benefices to come likewife. In the • Constitutions of the Bishop of Durham, (g) the Members of thefe Synods are thus computed; Abbots, Priors, Archdeacons, Provosts, "Vicars and Parochial Chaplains: And that this was nothing peculiar to that Diocefs, the Reformation of our Ecclefiaftical Law (b) fhems, which was gathered out of the Canon Laws then in Practice among us; and (omitting

nitt. Ejus cap. 20.

(e) Capitul. Vol. 2. Col. 171. Sy

nod. Vernens. cap. 8. Lyndwood De offic. Sud. Ordinar. c. Item ftatuimus voee Synodis. (f) Concil. Antifiod. can. 7.

Synod. Mogunt.

1. Can. 14.
(g) ubi fupra.
cap. 3.

(b) Loc. Supr. Cit. cap. I.

any

only

only the Regulars, who were now fuppreffed) enumerates the reft much after the fame manner, the Bishop with his Presbyters, Parochial Minifters, Vicars and Clerks.

"If the Diocefs were fmall, and had but one Archdeaconry in it, the whole Clergy met toge⚫ther at once for thefe Synods. If it were more large, the Bishop fometimes divided his Synods, according to the number of his Archdeaconries; And held his Diocefan-Council at feveral Times, and in feveral Places. But ftill the method of 'Proceeding was the fame in all; and the fame Business done in the one as in the other: And 'what that was must next be enquired.

Baluz. in Reg. p/

'Now the first thing that was usually done on these Occasions, was for the Bishop to make 'his Synodical Enquiries; (a) of which the anci- (4) Vid. Not. Then the Sy-31, 532. Re'ent Forms still remain to us. Then the Synodical Caufes were heard: Every one whoform. Leg. Ecc.l. 'had any proper Complaint to make, was per-ord. Rom. Bib. 'mitted to speak, and for this end, not only Pp. To. 13. p. 4 the Clergy but the Laity too, were fuffered to vol. 2. p. 1,2,&c. be prefent at thefe Synods, and to fpeak in Ord. Ms.inBibl.

'them.

cit. cap. 22. Vid.

742. Spel. concil.

Cot. Tiberius,c.I.

Cuthb. Arch, a

In thefe Synods, the Bishop was wont to declare to his Clergy what had been decreed in (6) Dift. 18. E'the Larger Synods of the (b) Province. In thefe pift. Bonif. ad 'he was directed to charge his Clergy to have a pud Spel. T. 1.p. 'care of their Ministry, and to lay before them 'the main Branches of that Duty which was 'incumbent upon them in their refpective

'Places to fulfil.

.

And laftly in thefe Synods, the Bishop pub'lifhed his own Diocefan Conftitutions: (c) Which

238. Lynw. de

confuet.lib.1. Tit. 3. cap. Hujus au

rem. p.13.b. Ord.

Rom. loc. fupr. citat. Baluz. in

Reg. p. 532. Ord.

Spelm. To. 2. p.

I.

Ord.M.S.Supr.

(c) Leo. 4. Epift.

ad Epifc. Britan. apud Labb. Concil. To. 8. col. 31. Ord. Rom. in Pontific. Lib. 3. fol. 189. Edit. Venet. 1561. Lynw. de Appellat. 1. 2. Tit. 7. cap. In confilio. verb. Statutum Francis. Leo, Prax, for. Ecclef. par. 2. cap. 9. § 15.

• being

M. S. Bibl. Cotton. Supr. Cit.

'being read, and agreed to by the Synod, were 'from thenceforth of Force within the Diocefs; ' provided they were not contrary to what had 'been decreed in fome Superior Council of the Province. Of thefe we have feveral Collections already published in the Volumes of our 'Councils, and many more there are ftill re'maining in the Registers of our Churches 'which witnefs the fame to us.

'How they proceeded in the Celebration of thefe Synods, the ancient Orders framed for the holding of them inform us; The Clergy in 'Solemn Proceffion came to the Church where they were to meet, at the Day and Hour ap* pointed by the Bishop, and fate according to (a) Vid. Ord. the Time of their Ordination. (a) Then the 'Deacons and Laity (even Women not excepted) 'were admitted. The Bishop (or in his absence, 'his Vicar) being come in, and the stated Pray'ers ended, made a Solemn Exhortation to 'them. Then (by the Roman Order) a Sermon was to be Preached; after which, if any Clergy-man had any Complaint to make, or 'any thing elfe to offer, he was heard by the Synod.

The Complaints of the Clergy being over; the Laity, in the next Place, were permitted to make theirs. Then the Bishop propofed 'his Diocefan Conftitutions to them. After which, 'if nothing farther remained to be done, he 'made a large Synodical Exhortation, in the way of an Injunction to his Clergy; and fo all con 'cluded with Solemn Prayers fuited to the Bu'finefs for which they were affembled.

• For

For the Dispatch of all this, the common time allowed (y) was three or four Days: () Reformat. And a feveral Rubrick was established to di- Leg. rect the Proceeding in every one of them. But if the bufinefs of the Synod could be done in leffer time, the Affembly was to be con'tinued no longer than was necessary for the finishing the Affairs that came before it. Eccles, loc. cit. Such was the nature of thefe Councils; cap. 23. which accordingly were continued in ufe among us to the time of King Henry VIII.

This is the Account which the Right Reverend and Learned Bishop Wake has given us of Diocefan Synods, chiefly in this Realm. And of the fame kind as appears from the Citations in the Margent were the Diocefan Synods in other places; Of which I fhall crave leave to mention Two that were held as lately as the year 1548, which was fince the beginning of the Reformation.

211.

(z) In this year, Cardinal Otho, Bishop of (2) Du Pin. Augsburg, called a Synod at Dilingen, compofed Cent. 16. p. 216, of the Bishop of Nazianzum (a Titular Bishop, and the Cardinals Deputy) confifting of the Abbots, Provofts, Canons, Deans, Priests and other Clergy-men of his Diocefs. There were three Seffions of this Synod held the Twelfth, Thitteenth and Fourteenth Days of November. In the first of them divers Articles containing Constitutions about Discipline and Manners were Read and Decreed. In the Second Sef fion certain Deputies were appointed to draw up Articles of the Abufes which they desired fhould be reformed, and the grievances they had to object against the Bishop and his Offi cers. Thefe Deputies made their Report in the Third Seffion, and faid that they found noL.

thing