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bitrary Princes are Teftimonies of the Legal Rights of fuch Princes, and for those Acts of this kind that were not Arbitrary, they prove no more than is allowed on all Hands, viz. That Chriftian Princes have an undoubted Right to convene Ecclefiaftical Synods, (and I will add, fo have Infidel Princes too, if they' think fit; for the Prince's Religion, as I conceive, neither encreases nor diminishes his juft Power) and that when they may have his Command or Allowance to meet, they ought not to affemble without it: But where he will neither convene or allow fuch Conventions when it is expedient, the Governors of the Church may hold Synods without it, by virtue of the Inherent Rights of the Church. And fo much the Right Reverend Author allows, and thereby at once utterly overthrows what he had fo zealously, and with fo much Pains been contending for; Because after all, he says, That when the Exigencies of the Church call Author of for a Convocation, and there is manifeft need of 267, 268. its Affembling; then I do confefs, the Church has Right to its Sitting. And if the Prince be fenfible of this, and yet will not fuffer his Clergy to come together, I do acknowledge that he would abufe the Truft that is lodged in him, and deny the Church a Benefit, which of Right it ought to Enjoy. And in another place of the fame Book + Pag. 43. he alfo fays, That whenever the Civil Magiftrate fhall fo far abuse his Authority as to render it neceffary for the Clergy, by fome extraordinary Methods to provide for the CHURCHES WELFARE; that Neceffity will warrant their taking of them. How this is reconcileable with what is before laid down as a Maxim by that Author; That it is the Right of Chri- fagi 41.

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ftian Princes to call fuch Affemblies; and that they cannot lawfully meet, but as they are either commanded or allowed of by them: That they, and not the Clergy, are judges when it is proper to convene them; And ought not to be cenfured for not Affembling them, when they are perfwaded it is Needlefs, or would be inexpedient for them fo to do, is paft my Apprehenfion. For if the Clergy have no Right to meet but by the Prince's Command or Allowance, and he is the only Judge, not they, when it is fit to iffue out fuch a Command or grant fuch Allowance, it is impoffible for him to abufe his Authority in this Point, or that there fhould ever be a Neceffity for the Clergy to proceed to extraordinary Methods to provide for the Churches Welfare. For if the Prince judges that there is no fuch Neceffity, the Judg ment of the Clergy fignifies nothing, for, he fays, the Clergy are not Judges when it is proper for them to convene.

All I can collect from laying thefe Paffages together, is, that the Author, tho' he thought it convenient for fome particular Reasons (which it is none of my Bufinefs to inquire into) to make Ecclefiaftical Synods wholly dependent on the Civil Power; yet he was Confcious to himself that he might have carried the Point too far, and therefore, notwithstanding it was contrary to what he had before afferted, and fo ftrenuously laboured to prove; he acknowledges that it may be neceffary for the Clergy to take fome extraordinary Method, to provide for the Churches Welfare, which muft mean, that they may meet in Synods without the Command or Allowance of the Prince, for that is the matter he treats of. And this Conceffion of his is all that I contend for, in faying that the Right

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which the Church has to its Councils or Synods is plainly Divine: By which I mean, that when the Occafions of the Church require it, the Clergy may and ought to affemble for that purpose. That where the Prince is not Chriftian, they may do this without his Knowledge or Confent, as the Apostles and the Primitive Chriftians did for the three first Centuries. But where the Prince is Chriftian, and regularly orders the Clergy to meet in fuch Affemblies, there can be no occafion for them to meet in Synod either without or against his Confent, because they may have it whenever it is requifite: And certainly their Duty, as Subjects, obliges them to feek his Confent rather than to act without it. And therefore where the Prince ordinarily fends forth his Writ of Summons to command fuch Affemblies of his Clergy, it is their Duty to wait that Summons fo long as it regularly calls them upon due Occafions. But if there are real and neceffary Occafions for their Meeting, and yet the Prince will not convene them, this Neceffity, as this Author fays, will warrant them to ufe extraordinary Methods, to which I heartily fubfcribe, and I know not who in our Church pretends to, or defires any greater Authority in the Church for the holding of its Synods. We all agree that the Church has a Right to fuch Affemblies when the Occasions of it require them. That where the Prince is Chriftian, his Confent, at least, ought to be asked for their Affembling. That he may command them to affemble when he fees it Expedient: That ordinarily they ought not to meet without his Command or Allowance But that extraordinary Cafes may happen which will warrant extraordinary Methods, and

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and that the Neceffity fhould be very plain and obvious before fuch Methods can be put in Practice.

Another Objection against this Right of the 25 H. 8. c. 19. Church, may be made from the * Statute of Submiffion, where it is declared, that The CLERGY of this REALM OF ENGLAND have Knowledge according to Truth, that the Convocations of the fame Clergy is, always has been and ought to be affembled only by the King's Writ, the Confequence of which is, that the Clergy have no other Right to their Synodical Meetings but what they receive from the Crown, and this is the Doctrine of the Church and the Law of the State of England. But I do not conceive that any fuch Confequence follows from the Words of this Statute, or that it implies any thing more than what I have already granted. Ever fince this Realm became Christian, and its Clergy had a Right to Synods, the Kings have been alfo Chriftians, and generally speaking have by their Mandatory Letters regularly and duly commanded Synods or Convocations to be affembled: So as there has been no neceffity here for the Clergy to exercife their extraordinary Right, and I hope never will be, fince fo long as our Princes continue Chriftian we may reafonably expect that our ordinary Rights will not be denied us. But neither that Convocation which yielded to this Submiffion, nor the Parliament that enacted it into a Law have declared, That the Clergy have no Right to defire fuch Writ, or that the Prince does not abufe his Truft if he refufes to grant it when it is expedient. And, notwithstanding any thing here enacted, whatsoever Right the Clergy had to their Synods before there was any Chri

ftian Prince muft continue the fame now if the Prince fhould ceafe to be Chriftian or abuse that Trust, which in this particular has been repofed in him, and the Clergy may then undoubtedly affemble by that Right which they received from our Saviour, and which was exercifed by the Apostles and Primitive Chriftians for Three Hundred Years, before there was any Chriftian Prince in the World: which is fuch a Right as no Submission of a Convocation nor Act of Parliament can deprive them of. For as the Church was not founded by any Civil Authority but by Jefus Chrift to whom all Power both in Heaven and Earth was given by the Father, fo neither can any Civil Authority whatsoever take from it any part of that power which Chrift has committed to it. Civil Powers may indeed perfecute and opprefs the Church, and deny its Governours the Exercife of that Authority Chrift has conferred upon them, and the Church has no remedy against fuch Oppressors by open Force, for Chrift never committed the power of the Sword to his Minifters. But God will not fail to avenge his own Caufe, and will hear his own Elect when they cry day and night to him. And it is a fearful thing to Heb. 10, 31. fall into the Hands of the Living God.

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Thus have I endeavoured to prove, and I hope to fuch as are unprejudiced have effectually done it, that the Clergy of the Chriftian Church have a Divine Right to assemble in Synod or Council to debate and refolve upon Matters proper for their Cognifance. But it may be asked what numbers have this Right to affemble. May all the Bishops of the World meet together in one place if they think convenient without or against the Authority of the

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