1 Popery was known in the World, the Presby ters, as well as the Bishops, were called together to Confult of the weighty Affairs of the Church, and to give their decifive Votes. And I do think I have proved that this is a Right belonging to the Presbyters, not by any particular Conftitution of this Church different from all others, and which our Presbyters have obtained meerly upon the account of their being called together to give their Money, as has been lately fuggefted, but as old as that of the firft Synods, whereof any Account is tranfmitted to us. And this was the current Opinion of those who wrote and pleaded most for the Rights of Epifcopacy in this Church above an Hundred Years ago, as I have already proved from Bishop Bilfon, according to whom the Modern Opinion which fome have taken up of late Years, that only Bishops had anciently Votes in Provincial Councils, and that no other Church but ours has admitted Presbyters to fit and Vote with the Biflops in fuch Synods, is perfectly New and derived from Popish Writers. But it is farther • Bishop of Sa- objected to our Synods by a very great Tum's Reflections Man (whofe great Character and greater Abian English Con-lities I highly Refpect and Reverence, and vecation, p. 1o. therefore would not differ from him were it on the Rights of not in the Vindication of our Constitution) as if our Convocations could not be called a true Reprefentative of the Church, tho' it be now a Legal one. Because the number of Deans, Archdeacons and Proctors of Chapters which fit there is far greater than that of the Proctors for the Diocefan Clergy: And therefore the Inferiour Clergy can in no fort be faid to be equally reprefented there. But with all due fubmiffion to fo great a Man, I Conceive that the number of Deans and Archdeacons deacons does not make our Convocations to be II. By this Constitution of our Synods, not only the Ancient Rights of the Presbyters are preferved, but of the Deacons alfo, who, as I have fhewed, were also present in and Subfcribed to the Ancient Provincial Synods. For our Archdeacons, tho' they are Presbyters, yet are not Summoned as fuch, but as Archdeacons, that is, as the chief of the Deacons, to whom, as I have fhewed, the Care of the Church Supr. Ch. 9. was committed by the Bishop in particular Cafes. And I know no Conftitution of our Church that requires Archdeacons to be Presbyters. Before the Reformation many of them were but Deacons, and fhould any of them be no more now, I conceive they would neverthe lefs lefs have a Right to Sit and Vote in our Convocations. * III. Neither are the Laity excluded from as great a fhare in our Synods as they had in thofe of the Primitive Church: Where, tho' they were not called to Debate and Confult, yet their Approbation was defired. For, as has been obferved in the Apoftolical Synod, tho only the Apostles and Elders came together to Confult, yet the Brethren alfo gave their Approbation to the Decrees, and joined with them in the Confirmation of them. Now this Right of the Laity has by long Custom and Prefcription been given to our Kings, and confirmed by Acts of Parliament, fo that nothing can have the Force of a Synodical Decree, 'till it has been allowed and confirmed by the King or Queen of this Realm, who alfo may and has been prefent to hear the Debates in Convocation either in Perfon or by a Commiffioner. And where the Matters agreed upon in the Synod have feemed to require it, there the Approbation of all the Laity has also been defired, and the Acts of the Synod have been confirmed in Parliament. IV. I obferve from my Lord Bishop of Lincoln's Account of the Matter, that altho' our Convocation now meets in two Houfes, yet the whole Synod is no lefs under the Presidency of the Archbishop, than if they fate but in one, even as in the Ancient Synods, confifting as ours do both of Bishops and Presbyters, we read of no other Prefident but the Metropolitan. And tho' for conveniency the Bishops now meet in one Houfe, and the Presbyters in another, yet they make but one Convocation, neither do the Presbyters without the Bishops, nor the Bishops without the Presbyters, make a Synod. We find that Originally they all Sate in one House. And then the Bishops, as there was Occafion, Syn. Anglican, required the Lower Clergy to go afide and de-P-79, 80. bate by themselves, and return their Refolutions at a prefixed time; 'till by degrees they found it more expedient to order their Retirement immediately after the opening of the Convocation, and from time to time required to know the refult of their Debates by the Prolocutor or Referendary. Now when the Presbyters were thus required to meet and debate between themselves, and fend up the refult of their Debates to their Lordships at the next Seffions, it is evident that they must have+ syn Anglican Power to meet in that Interval between Sef P. 128. fions and Seffions to confult of those Matters in order to have their Refolutions ready by the time prefixed by their Lordships. And if this Interval confifted of feveral Days, as I have proved it fometimes did, fure they were not obliged to keep together all that time, but might adjourn their Meetings from Day to Day as they should find expedient, provided they did not fail to be prefent on the Day prefixed. Much lefs can we fuppofe the Bishops fhould require the Clergy to withdraw and Confult, and form Refolutions to be delivered. at the next Seffions, and yet deny them a Power to meet for that purpose in the mean time. Therefore when the Lower Clergy are formed into an Houfe, it is evident that they have thereby a Power given them to meet and debate as an Houfe, even tho' the Bishops are not actually fitting at the fame time with them. For the forming them into an Houfe was as the Author of Synodus Anglicana proves the bidding bidding them to go afide and debate by themfelves And it is evident from what has been faid, that, when they were fo fent afide, they were Masters of all the intermediate time between that and the next Seffions of the whole Convocation, where they were obliged to be prefent. And the Obligation of the Clergy to meet whenever the Bishops do, that they may be ready to hear and receive whatsoever their Lordships have to propofe to them, is fufficient to keep the Presbyters to a due Dependency on their Bishops. Neither can any intermediate Meetings, during the time that their Attendance is required in Convocation, tend to the making them Independent: Since at thofe Meetings they can only prepare Matters to be offered to their Lordships at the next Seffions of the whole Convocation; and nothing they can do at that time can have any Synodical force till their Lordships have feen and approved it. But the refufal of fuch intermediate Meetings may be very prejudicial to the Inferior Clergy. For the Convocation Meeting always at the fame time with the Parliament, where their Lordships Attendance is required, the Upper-Houfe of Convocation cannot long or often attend Synodical Bufinefs, yet being but few in number they may fooner finish their Dictates than in a larger Aflembly: But if the Lower-Houfe be permitted no longer or frequenter Seffions than their Lordships other bufinefs will permit them to hold, that being a much more numerous Affembly, how foever they may possibly find time to confider of what may be propo fed to them by their Lordships, can have none to confider of any thing elfe, either to repre Tent |