CONCLUSION.

UPON the whole, putting these various considerations together,—the Church's present peculiar necessities; the suitableness of Convocations, or other more entirely unequivocal Church-synods, for the nation's sake to relieve them; the various ways in which that relief may be imparted, namely, by checking abuses of Patronage, by remedying defects in Discipline, by calming in reasonable and devout minds eagerness for a revision of the Liturgy, by protesting against erroneous doctrines, by aiding in an explanation or amendment of the Protestant Oath of Supremacy, by considering remedies for statistical defects, and for defects in theological education, by promoting union among churchmen themselves, and between the Established Church, and other Protestant Communions ;-putting these considerations together, we may venture, I appre

hend, to conclude, that REVIVED, EFFICIENT, AND DULY - REGULATED CONVOCATIONS, (to be summoned, if possible, at a different time from the Parliament) or rather, since somewhat of a semi-political character may still seem to adhere to Convocations, that a RESTORATION OF PROVINCIAL and DIOCESAN SYNODS*-is imperatively called for by the present exigencies of this Church and Nation; and would be one of the best adapted means, sometimes the only mean, of defending, ameliorating, and invigorating the Church of England; and thereby would, under GOD, greatly conduce to the diffusion of his heavenly and eternal blessings through the whole realm.

I have all along scarcely suffered the idea to rise in my mind, that the civil power would ever

*“The model of Ecclesiastical Discipline”—“ laid by those who had the chief management of these matters," (under Henry VIII.,)-" was plainly this; to restore the use of Diocesan and Provincial Councils; and therein to transact those affairs which were properly conciliary, and which only the later practice of the foregoing century had brought within the cognizance of the Convocation." The Provincial Councils were to be held, not statedly, but si contigerit in ecclesiâ gravem aliquando exoriri causam.— "That this was the design of our first Reformers, the body of ecclesiastical laws, drawn up by authority of that very act of which we are now speaking," (25 Hen. VIII.) " sufficiently shews."-Wake, State of the Church, p. 553.

so far forget its duty to God, as knowingly to do wrong to his Church. But, as a remaining argument for the course pleaded for in these pages, it may be asked, if any act of sacrilege or injustice should be unhappily inflicted on the Church, may she not be permitted, as a Church, to expostulate? And how can she expostulate but by Convocations, or Provincial Synods? If in an evil hour she should be "wounded in the house of her friends," is the Church the only society which may not cry out when stricken, or rather which may not say in meekness, like her Saviour, "if I have done evil, bear witness of that evil; but if well, why smitest thou me ?" But the whole question comes to this one point,-the due employment of Church-councils, in some form or other, is God's Own PROVISION FOR REGULATING and BENEFITING HIS CHURCH IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS. Yes, we may point to such Councils, and say all in three words,-GOD'S OWN PROVISION! That is enough. GOD'S OWN

PROVISION Surely we must use; use in faith, according to GoD's will, and trust GOD for the result.

Let, then, our Fathers and Rulers in the Church, let our brethren, let our people at large, of all ranks, be entreated to consider, if our Church-councils become extinct, or which is the same thing, continue to be a mere form, whether

the relinquishment of them be not a suicidal act as far as the Church herself is concerned, an act of spiritual usurpation on the magistrate's and on the nation's part, and on the part of all, an act of a treasonable complexion against the authority of JESUS CHRIST.

Our Civil Governors, indeed, themselves seem, at this time, to contemplate the speedy employment of such Councils, in the usual form probably of CONVOCATIONS. Otherwise, it cannot be supposed that in the Ecclesiastical Commission, lately issued, (for the Church of England and the nation at large owe doubtless a tribute of gratitude to his Majesty,) a reference would have been made to some new arrangement of episcopal duties, and some new modifications of cathedral institutions. For such measures, when preparatorily made by the Commission, seem to require, of course, at a subsequent period the consent of the Church herself, as a body; if we may judge from former precedents, and especially from that of the Commission in 1689, which proposed subjects of similar extent, and was objected to by some of the Commissioners themselves and others, and was vindicated on this very ground, that all signified nothing, unless the Convocation approved it.*

*See a Tract by Dr. Tenison, on this subject; and Calamy's Abridgment of Baxter's Life and Times, vol. i. p. 457.

The Clergy therefore, and the Laity too, if these things be so, are obliged and encouraged, without delay, to hold, legitimate and constitutional meetings, both jointly and, perhaps, separately, upon this special subject. Especially the Clergy ought, by requisitions to the Archdeacons, to assemble for the purpose of petitioning their Sovereign and their respective Archbishops; in particular, imploring his Majesty graciously to direct the Archbishops of England and Ireland, so that they may summon their several Convocations, in order to consider questions relative to spiritual discipline, possibly as proposed for the Convocation in 1689, and other points connected with the spiritual welfare and utility of the Church.

But before I take a final leave of the reader, let me, with all affectionate urgency, as becomes a minister of JESUS CHRIST, endeavour briefly to touch a hallowed string, too apt to be overlooked in discussions, like the present. May you feel, reader, whilst you candidly listen, something in your inmost heart that responds to the calls of heavenly truth! For is there not an extraordinary moral conflict going on at this time, in our own and other kingdoms of the earth; to which political changes only bear the