Church, p. 392. the cafe of restoring the lapfed to the Communion of the Church, and of Doctrine which was the cafe of the Baptifm of Hereticks, the Presbyters had decifive Votes, and determined as well as the Bishops. But in Matters of Judicature the Bishops had only decifive Voices, and the Presbyters fate by to be confulted with upon Occafion, and to give their Approbation when it was asked. And that Presbyters fhould be allowed fuch Authority in Synods as this, (a) Bishop Bilfon judges to be very Reasonable. (a) Perpet. Gov. As for Presbyters, fays he, that were beneath of Chrifts's Apostles (understand by that Name, Prophets, Evangelifts, Paftors, Teachers, or whom you will, fo no Lay-Elders) we deny them neither Places, nor Voices in Synods, fo long as they have Right to Teach or Speak in the Church. For we efteem Synods to be but the Affemblies or Conferences of those to whom the Churches of any Province or Nation for the Word and Doctrine are com'mitted. And therefore to our Synods are 'called not only Bifhops, but Deans, Arch'.deacons and other Clerks, as well of the Principal and Cathedral Presbytery, where the Epifcopal Seat and Church is, as of the Diocefs at large. And tho' fome Romish Writers do ftifly Maintain, that none but Bishops have Voices in Councils; yet you fee the Ancient Inftitution of our Synodal Affembly, overthroweth their late and new Affertion. Neither lack we Examples of the Course which we keep even from the Be'ginning. The Synod of Rome, called by Cornelius against Novatus about the Year of Christ 255, confifted of LX Bishops and many Presbyters and 1 (b) Lib. 6. c. 43. (d) Subfcript. fol. 293. I. fol. 951. (g) Epift. 1. 4. c. 88. 1. fol. 1002. 1. fol. 959. From and Deacons (b) as Eufebius noteth. the Synod of Antioch that depofed Paulus Sa(c) Ibid. 17.6.30.mofatenus, (c) Wrote not only Bishops but Presbyters and Deacons, as appeareth by their Epiftle. (d) In the Council of Eliberis about the fame time of the firft Nicene Council fate, befides the Bishops, XXXVI. Presbyters. (e) In the fecond Council of Arle about the fame time fubfcribed XII. Presbyters. (f) The like may be seen in the Councils of Rome under Hilarius; and under (g) Gregory, where XXXIV. Presbyters fubfcribed after (b) Tom. Concil. XXII. Bishops: And in the first under (b) Symmachus, where after LXXII. Bishops fubfcribed LXVII. Presbyters. So in the third, (i) Tom Concil. fifth and fixth under the fame Symmachus, (i) "Felix alfo Bishop of Rome kept a Council of XLIII Bishops and LXXIV. Presbyters; and after the fame manner have divers other Metropolitans affembled in their Provincial Synods, as well Presbyters as Bishops. The (k) Council of Antifiodorum faith, Let all the Presbyters being called, come to the Synod in the City. The (fourth Council of Toledo defcribeth the celebrating of a Provincial • Council in this wife. Let the Bishops affem• bled go to the Church together, and Sit according to the time of their Ordination. After all the Bifhops are entred and fet, let the Presbyters be called, and the Bishops fitting in a Compass, let the Presbyters fit behind them, and the Deacons ftand before them, The Council of (m) Tarracon ' eleven hundred Years ago prescribed almost "the very fame Order that we observe at this Day. Let Letters be fent by the Metropolitan unto his Brethren, that they bring with them unto the Synod, not only fome of the Presbyters of the (k) Can. 7. (1) Can. 3. (***) Can. 13. Cathedral • Cathedral Church but also of each Diocese. And why should this feem ftrange even to the Romish Crew, when as in the Great Council of Lateran, as they call it, under (n) Innocentius (») Platina in the third, there were but 482 Bishops, and of Abbots and Priors Conventual almoft double the number, even 800. Innocent. 3. Thus we fee that this Right Reverend Prelate and one of our beft and greatest Champions for Epifcopacy, is plainly of Opinion (and gives very good Reafon and Authority for his Opinion) that Presbyters ought not only to fit in Councils, but to have Votes there alfo, fo long as they have a right to teach and to speak in the Church: And he condemns the contrary Opinion, which holds that only Bishops have Votes in Councils, as no better than downright Popery, and a Novelty unknown to the Primitive Church. Tho' fome Romish Writers, fays he, do ftifly maintain that none but Bishops have Voices in Councils; yet you fee the ancient Inftitution of our Synodal Affembly overthroweth their late and new Affertion." And yet this ancient Inftitution of our Synodal Affembly, which this learned Prelate oppofes to the Popish Novelty that excludes Presbyters from Provincial Synods, is by fome of our Modern Writers made it felf a Novelty, and that which Bishop Bilfon calls a late and new Affertion of fome Romish Writers, is cried up for the ancient, undoubted Conftitution of the Church. (o) When (0) Eccleftaftical the Provincial Council had nothing to do, fays a Synods, &c. learned Modern Author, but to make Canons and Conftitutions, to condemn Herefies, or meddle with pure Spiritual Matters, then the meeting and the Refolutions of the Archbishop and Bishops was at this time [that is in former Days] Sufficient p. 42. fufficient. (p) And another tells us, that it was upon a Civil Account which brought them [the lower Clergy] by Degrees into this extraor dinary Power in Ecclefiaftical Affairs: Their Civil Property could not be difpofed of, but by their own Confent; and this being the great business of Convocation at the beginning, the Negative of the Clergy became an Established Rule there; and fo that Rule took place in Canons, Conftitutions, and other Ecclefiaftical Affairs, when these alfo (which before had folely belonged to Archbishops and Bishops) came to be confidered and framed in Convocation. So now the Tide is quite turned, that which an hundred years ago was thought most ancient and of Primitive Original, viz. that Presbyters fhould act in Synod together with their Bishops, which Bishop Bilfon has proved was the Practice of the Primitive Church for fome hundreds of years, is now become a Novelty, and appears to have been introduced but fince the Cuftom began of giving Money in Convocations. And that which Bifhop Bilfon condemns as Novel and Popish, is now cried up as the most ancient primitive way of holding Synods, in which it is pretended that the Presbyters had no fhare. Notwithstanding, I hope that the Precedent which was fet by the Apoftolical Synod, and those I have mentioned from St. Cyprian, and thofe I have Tranfcribed from Bishop Bilfon may fatisfy unprejudiced Perfons, that the Right which Presbyters have to meet in Synod with their Bishops is not fuch a Novelty as is now pretended, but that it was the Practice of the Chriftian Church even from the beginning. And (q) Monfier Du Pin, a Man excellently Skilled in the Antiquities of the Church fays plainly L'eglife Galicane plainly etiam in Conciliis Provinciarum fediffe Legimus Presbyteros & cum Epifcopis judicaffe. We read that Presbyters have fat in Provincial Councils, and judged with the Bishops. Indeed he only afferts this, and does not go about to prove it, but the Reason is because he thought it fo evident to all that were but a little acquainted with Ecclesiastical History that it needed no Proof. And that it was fo anciently in the French Church of which he is a Member, I will give fome Examples. (r) An. 743. in the () Preuves, des first year of King Childeric 3. Carloman the Ma- Libertes de jor of the Palace called a Council of Leftines, in vol. 1. p. 444the Preface to which he fays, I have gathered &c. together the Bishops that are in my Kingdom, with the Presbyters, to a Council and Synod for the fear of Chrift, that is to fay Boniface the Archbishop, and Burchard, &c. with the other Bifhops and with their Presbyters, that they may give me Council how the Law of God and the Religion of the Church may be restored. An. 794. Charles the Great called a Council at Franckfurt confifting of all the Bishops and Priefts of his Dominions of France, Italy and the Province of Aquitain. In the Council of Mentz An. 813. as appears from the Preface to that Council, not only Archbishops, Bishops and Abbots, but the rest of the Clergy were prefent. And in the Council of Tours in the fame year came together the BiShops, Abbots, and the Venerable Clergy. Dr. Hody in his Hiftory of Convocations plainly proves that the most ancient Synods in this Realm were held after the manner I have fhewn them to have been held in the primitive Church, viz. by the Bishops and Presbyters in the prefence of the People. ( The first Hift. of Conv. Synod that is mentioned to have been in this p. 14. Inland |