& -"XM ■;)-;!i i /'.IP SEL &&MS^ aft. PRINCETON, N. J. ~~~£c ]""c i ,i^C^ r Division. Section .. Number. -'— /^/ f it* t< J r '7 fa first r ; A N ACCOUNT OF Church-Government, AND v. GOVERN9URS. W i|) V stc sb 5ld ate mm «a» ale LO^DOW: Printed for jfoA* ^9^> at tf# #<2/* i n St. P Ws Church -yard. 1 7 1 . THE PREFAC I have attempted to write a fmall tife concerning the Government an Governours of the Church, not be- caufe I thought my fell qualified for fiich an Undertaking, 'but purely to gratifie the defires of a particular Friend, who earneftly requefted it of me. The oc- cafion was this : About Cbriftmas 1698. a near Relation of mine was fo kind as to let me enjoy his company at my Houfe tor a time. He had the Misfortune to be Educated altogether by Diffenters, his Parents and Guardians being rigid Presby- terians. Now tho' his own fweet tem- per gave him a juft diflike of the cenfori- oufnefs of that Party, and his natural rea- fon convinced him of the unreafonable- nefs of their reparation from ifc, fo that affoon as he could free himfelf from his Pedagogue , he forfook the Meeting- Houfe for the Church; yetjiaving not A 2 - oppor- iThe Preface. opportunities to acquaint himfelf with the true nature and conftitution of the Primi- tive Church, and the uninterrupted Sue- ceffionofthe feveral Orders of the Clergy amongft us, by Reafon that he was ob- liged to another different Study (where- in his Diligence is fuch that I doubt not but he will foon be eminent in his Profeffion) he was not throughly fatis- fied with the Divine or at leaft Apofto- lical Inftitution of Efpifcopacy. He thought it indeed a Rational Form of Church Government , and the moft agreeable to the Conftitution of our State, and that the Diffenters were to blame to condemn it as Antichriftian : Butotherwife he thought the Legiflative Power might make what Alterations they pleafed in it, and that all Church Government was Prudential and might upon juft Occafions be altered at the Pleafure of the State. It happened in our Converfationthat we fell into fome Difcourfe concerning the Church of Eag- jmd and the Diffenters. He feemed to think the Differences between usnocfo great but that they might be accomo- dated by Conceflions on all fides ; at leaft that we and the Presbyterians might be United by a Comprehenfion A& of Par- liament. I gave him feveral Reafons, as The Preface. as they then occurred to me,' to the-con- trary : But that which he thought the moll Material, and was enclin.ed to be- lieve would hinder fuch an Union was the Difference about the feveral Ordi- nations. I faid that the Presbyterians who had been already Ordained by their Presbyters could not fubmit to be re-oiv dained by a Bifhop without a tacit Ac- knowledgement that their fir ft Ordina- tion was invalid : Whereby they muft confefs that they had hitherto Preached the Word and Adminiftred the Sacra- ments without having a juft Right and Title to perform thofe holy Offices : Which would be a great Offence to their feveral Congregations who had Com- municated with them and efteemed them to* be true Minifters of the Word and Stewards of the Myfleries of God. He demanded of me if the Church of JE>g- la#d could not admit 'em into Commu- nion, and give them a Licenfe to Preach in out' Churches and perform other iMinifterial Duties without their Receiving Epifcopal Ordination, hav- ing been already Ordained by Pres- byters. I anfwered this could not be done without an Acknowledgement that Ordination by Presbyters was valid, and this being once granted the A 4 Ep : i- The Preface. Eplfcopal Church would foon be ruined. For if once we allowed that Presbyters might be Ordained by Presbyters and that fuch Ordination was fufficient, we muft therewith alio grant that the Epis- copal Office is not neceffary to the Con- ftitution of a Church. And if this were admitted the Means would foon be found totally to abolifli this Order. For when we have granted that Bifhops by Divine Right and Apoftolical Inftitution are not neceffary Officers in the Church,thofe who gape after their Temporalties, and are defirous to poffefs their Lands,joyning with thofe who think their Office to be Antichriftian, which moft of our Dif- fenters do, would foon find a Way utter- ly to extirpate Epifcopacy in England. This he laid he could not defire, tho' he was not fatisfied that all other Church Governments were contrary to Apofto- lical Inftitution. I replied that I looked upon 'em to be fo. Upon which he told me he would gladly be informed how and when the feveral Orders of the Clergy as they are now in the Church of England were inftituted : Alfo what it was which gave the Original to Deans And Chapters, Archdeacons Chance/lours, &c. And defired me to give him the beft Ac- count of thefe Matters that I could. I did The Preface. did not deny this Requeft, becaufe I Was unwilling that one who had fo well con- quered the Prejudices of an unhappy Education flibuld want any reafonafele fatisfa&ion I could give him ; neither did I know any one Book to recom- mend to his perufal on this Occafion, and his other Studies would not permit him to Read over fo many as were necef- lary to give him a fuii Information in thefe Particulars. And befides I was willing to inform my felf better in this Matter that I might be more ready to anfwer on the like Occafion. I acknowledge that there is little of my own in this Difcourfe, the nature of the Subject requiring me to compofe it of Collections. I am alfo fenfible my Perfomance muft be defective, both becaufe I am very much wanting in thofe natural and acquired Abilities requifite for fuch an undertaking : And likewife becaufe I could not obtain many Books neceifary to give me a fuller Information of thefe Matters. For living in an obfcure Place where I could have no Recourfe to any Publick Libraries, and none of the Neighbouring Clergy being able to fupply me to flip- ply me with fuch Books as I wanted, I was forced to make the beft fhift I could with that final] Collection my own ftudy af- The Preface. afforded me. Therefore labouring un- fiich Difficulties I would have excufed my felf from this troublefome Task had not the former Reafons prevailed with me to attempt it. Yet I went about it with an honeft and impartial Mind, and altho' I have not Written all that might be well faid upon this Subjeft, I have neverthelefs affirmed Nothing but what I think may be depended on and fupported by very good Authority. Where I had not the Authors themfelves by me, I have fairly quoted the Book from which I have Tranfcribed thofe PalTages I have any where cited. Moft of the Councils I have quoted (having them not at large,) are taken from Du Tins Epitome of them in \\isBibliotheca y wherein I have followed the Englifh Edition : But I would not have content- ed my felf to have Tranfcribed any thing at fecond Hand, If I could have found anv means of obtaining the Ufe of the Originals themfelves. I hope therefore that will be imputed to me as a Misfor- tune rather than a Fault. For a (lender Income will not Supply a Clergy Man with fuch Books as he ordinarily has Oc- cafion for, much lefs will it Furnifh him with Materials to Write on fuch a Sub- ject as this. However this Treatife fuch as The Preface. as it is I finifhed about a Year ago, and then Tranfcribed it for my Friends Ufe, and gave it to him, and he has been fo kind as to acknowledge that he has re- ceived good Satisfaction by it, fo that I have the Comfort to believe my La- bour has not been altogether loft. I have fince made feme Additions and Alterations in it, and have again Tran- fcribed it for the Ufe of the Publick ; Hoping this imperfeft Eflay of mine may incite fome Perfon of greater Learning and Opportunities to Write a more compleat Treatife on this Subjeft, both fupplying the Defeats of this Work and Correcting the Miftakes which I have any where been guilty of in it. A N A N INDEX OF THE CHAPTERS Chapter. Page. I. /^\ F Church Power in general) and \^J whence it is derived. I II. Of the /Qng J s Supremacy. 1 5 III. Of the fever al Orders of the Clergy. 29 IV. That Bifbops and Priefis are dijlinti Orders proved from the Scriptures . 3 3 V. That Bijhops and PrieHs are disiinSt Orders proved from Tefiimonies of the Church. 58 VI Of the Co/ledge of Presbyter s, and the manner how the Bifhop lived with his Clergy. 94 VII. Of the Original of Parishes and Parish friejls. 107 VIII. Of Deacons. 114 IX* Of Archdeacons. 112 X. Of An Index of the Chapters. X. OfJrchpriefts or Kurd Dews. 106 XL Of Bijbops Chancellors. 155 XII. Of Chorepifcopi or Bijbops Suffra- gan. 1 40 XIII. Of Archbijhops or Metropolitans. 1 80 XIV. Of the Election of the Bijbops in the Primitive Church* 1 90 XV. Of Feuds or Benefices. 197 XVI. Oflnvefiiture. 205 XVII. OftheContejls about hiveftitures in the Empire. 212 XVIII. Of the Contefts about Inveftitures in England. 221 XIX. Of the Manner of Elections in Eng- land. 232 XX. Of the Conge de Eflire. 2 J 8 XXL Of the inferior orders of the Clergy not retained in the Church of Eng- land. 251 The Conclusion. 259 Books Printed for John Wy.it at the Rofe in St. Paul's Church-yard. A Catechetical Courfe of Sermons for the whole Year,- being an Explanation of the Church Gate- cbifmjin Fifty two Diftinft Diftourfes on ib many feve- veral Texts of Scripture. Wherein are briefly contained the mod neceflary Points of Chriftiain Doctrine. Re- commended efpecially for the ufe of Families. In two Vol. 8v0. By Fetcr Newcome M. A. Vicar of Alien* ham in Henfordfirire, Price i 2 s. Family Devotions for Sunday Evenings in Four Volumes each containing Thirteen Practical Difcourfes with luitable Prayers for the four Quarters of the Year By TheopkilusVorringtoHj&dLtor oiWittrejbam in ^>;;r,the Second Edition, Price ios. The Sincere and Zealous Practice of Religion re- commended. In Conlideration of the certainty of its Principles, the Reafonablenefs of its Duties ; and the great Wifdom of Mankind in Serving God. Wi.h re- ipecl both to the advantages or this Life, and the Re- commences of the next. To which is added a Brief account how thofe who incline to Religion, may beft bring their good Defires to good Effect. By fohn Turner te&utctaf Cbrift-Chqrtf, London, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable, the Earl of Scarborough, %vo. Price 4 s. A PerfwalTve to a Serious Preparation for Death and judgment. Containing Several Confederations and Di- rections in order thereto : Being a Supplement to the Ckriftun Monitor. Suited to all Capacities and dehgned as an help to Reformation of Manners. Twelves* Price 3 d. or 20 s. the Hundred to thofe that Buy Num- bers. A N ACCOUNT O F Church Government^. CHAP. I. Of Church Power in General, and whence it is derived. THE New Teftament does fo plainly * affert a Government in the Church, and fo a PP*- *§£'*[ ! a ? " rently f diftinguifh the Mem- &, ° r bers of Chrifts Myftical Body into Go- R o^ 12 - 4 vernoitrs and Governed, that one would \^ ch ' i3 ' y think this Matter could not admit of a Difpate, between thofe who acknow- ledge the Divine Authority of the Scrip- tures. But becaufe there are fome who call themfelves Chriftians (as the Independents, and feveral Sefts of Ana- baptifts, gjiakers, 8cc. propagated from them) who if they do allow any Church- B Co- Of Church Power in general, Chap. I. Government at all, yet make it fo per- fectly Democratical that we know not how to diftinguifh the Governours from the Governed amongft them , their Church Officers a&ing only as the Ser- vants of the Church, or particular Con- gregation, (which in their Senfe are reciprocal Terms ) and not as the im- mediate Minifters of Chrifi conftituted by him, fo that thefe which are ap- pointed as Governours, are but Subjefts to thofe they pretend to Govern, and by confequence no Governours at all, there being others alfo ( as the Erafti- ans ) who place all Ecclefiaftical Pow- er and Authority in the Civil Magiftrate $ therefore defigningto treat of the Origi- nal and continued Government ofChrips Church, and to prove that the Church of England as it is by Law eftablifhed, is governed according to the Rules of the Gofpel, and the Pra&ice of the Primi- tive Church in the beft and pureft Ages, that I may obviate all Objections, I judge it neceffary for me in the firft Place to fhew that there was a Government fettled in the Church, at the beginning of its Eftablifhmen tbyChr/ft and his Apo- ft!es, and that this was diftinft from the Government of the Civil Magiftrate ; in- c rendenton him,and notalterable at his Plea- Cfiap. I. and whence it is derived. Pleafure : ' Then I fhall confider what is the Authority of the Civil Magiftrate in Ecclefiaftical Affairs, He being acknow- ledged by the Church of Engl and to be the Supreme Governour of all Perfons, and in all Caufes : And in the next Place I pur- pofe to ftiew, who are thofe Perfons to whom Chriji has in a more fpecial Manner committed the Goverrlient of theChurch, and that in the Church of England there is no effential Variation from the Initia- tion of Chriftand his Apoftles, nor any Alteration in the Ecclefiaftical Govern- ment, other than what is neceffary ac- cording to the different State of the Primitive Church and ours, that is be- tween a Church oppofed and perfecuted, and a Church fupported and protected by the Civil Powers Now that there muft be a Govern- ment in the Church, is demonftrable, becaufe it is impoffible it fhould fubfift without it: For the Church \**k%m as the very Name of it imports, fignifies a Congregation or Society of People, and the Chriftian Church being Ccetus fiddium, comprehends that faithful So- ciety which believes in Jefus Chrifi, and that any Society fhould fubfift with- out Government, cannot be imagined^ Where all are to command and none to B 2 obey, 4 Of Church Power in general, Chap. I. obey, the Society ceafes and become a confufed Rout : It is not therefore to be fuppofed that the eternal Word who is Wifdom it felf, fhould aft fo foolifh- ly, as to pretend to inftitute a Society without Government $ to affert this, would be to makeG^ not the Author of *iCor.i4 33- Peace ( * as the Apoftle has declared him to be ) hut ofConfufion, and that in all the Churches of the Saints, where 1 1 Cor i .tSt.P*«/ affures us 'tis his Will that all things be done decently and in Order. But what Decency, what Order can there be without Government? If there- fore the Church have no Government in it felf, how can it be any other than a riotous Affembly? But to fet this Matter beyond all Difpute,the Scriptures themfelves do pofitively affert that there is a Government in the Church, and one Supreme Governour even Jefus- Chrifi, whom all that profefs his Name *2 Cor.<. ^.acknowledge to be the Lord. * He died for all, that they which live fhould not henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him that died for them and rofe again. \ A3. 20 23. f The Church of God, therefore, which he hath purchafed with his Blood, is here- by made fubjeft to him, and he is the * Ifa. 9. 6. Head or chief Ruler over it : *For the Government is upon his Shoulder : Of the In- Chap. I. and whence it is derived, 5 Increafe of \hk Government and Peace there jhall be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it and to eftablif?) it with Judgment and with Jufiice, from henceforth even for ever. The Lord hath given unto him the Throne r ^ l . a of hk Father David : And he Jl)all reign over the Ho:tfe of Jacob for ever, and of hk Kingdom there fiall be no end. God £ p h. i. ai. hath put all things under his Feet, and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church. He hath the Key of 'David, Revr§ ?# he openeth and no Man fiuteth, he ftmteth and no Man openeth. And all Power k Mat. 2 3. ig. given unto him both in Heaven and in Earth: Which Power before his Atten- tion he delegated to certain Perfons * * Tohn a whom he Tent into all the World with the fame Power and Authority, to Col- left, Settle, and Govern the Church, . which he himfelf had before received of the Father. This Power was by no means given to all the Faithful, for if it was, all Chriftians muft be made Go- vernours of the Church, and then where (hall we find any to be governed ? At leaftnoMan can challenge any Authority derived to him by this Commiffion of .. Chrift : Yet St. Paul declares himfelf to have fuch an Authority f when he asks , c the Corinthians, if they will provoke ( B 3 him 6 Of Church Fewer in general,, Chap. I. him to come among them with a Rod > * 2 Cor. 10. 8. And 4 aiTerts to them the Authority which the Lord had given him and the reft of 5 2 Cor.13.jo. the Apoftles, and ? lets them know that he has a Power from the Lord to ufe Sharpnefs to 'em, if it be found expedi- l j Cor. 4. f. ent, that they are not to 6 account of him and the other Faftors of the Church, as their Minifters or Servants, but as the MiniJiersofGod and Stewards of the My- fieries of Chrift, that is as Perfons who have received their Commiffion and Authority from our Lord himfelf and not from the Church or Congrega- tion of the Faithful 5 And he charges 7 Timothy that the Elders which ride Well he counted worthy of double Honour : He 1 Thef.5.12 alfo befeeches the z TheJfalonians to know them which labour among ft them, and are Hcb ^ over them in the Lord. 9 The Author ' to the Hebrews likewife commands them to obey them that have the Rule over them, and fubmit themfelves. And that this Obedience is required in this Place, not to temporal but Spiritual Go- vernours is mod apparent from the fol- lowing Words, jfrr,adds he, they watch for your Souls as they that mufi give Account. That the Faftors of the Church alfo had Authority over their Flocks in all fuc- ceediog Ages is rnoft pianifeft. Ignatius one 1 Tim. $.1 Chap. I. and whence it is derived. one of the mod antient Fathers who im- mediately fucceeded the Apoftles in his Epiftle to the Trallians has this Expref- fion. He that is within the Altar is pure : wherefore alfo he is obedient both to the Bi- floop and Presbyters. And there is fcarce one of his Epiftles wherein he fays not fomething of the like Nature. Does not St. Cyprian plainly difcover, that he thought himfelf vefted with a lawful Authority to Pardon or Puntfh with Spiritual Cenfures? when he fays, J I'Ep.jjj, wy f elf almojl offend by pardoning Offen- ces more than I ought. For he is fpeak- ing here not of private Offences com- mitted againft himfelf, but of publick againft the Church. 2 And in another 2 E P . 6. place he fmartly rebukes thofe who would not be governed by the Presby- ters and Deacons. But why (hould I trouble my felf to colled particular Proofs and Authorities, when it is ma- nifeft from all Church Hiftory, that the Chriftian Church before it had any fu- preme Magiftrate in its Communion for above three Centuries, was aftually go- verned by its Paftors, and has conti- nued to be fo ever fince in the greateft part of Chriftendom. Indeed without this Diftin&ion ofGovemours and Gover- ned, it is impoffible the Church (hould B 4 con- 8 Of Church Power in general ', Chap. I. continue, it mufl: needs fall and come to nothing. The Body of Chrifi con- ■ r cor. i2. fifts of many Members, * and if they were 20, 28. a n om Member, where were the Body .y Baptifm, 9 others they caft out by x A a.6. 5j &c. Excommunication, ■ Officers were cho- fen and appointed for the Service of the 1 Aft 20 23. Church, and z Overfeers to govern and * a Tira°4.2. f ee d the Flock, not only 3 to reprove, 4 1 Tim ' rebuke and exhort, 4 but alfo to receive 5 Xit T. IT Accufations, and to * rejeft, that is to \ * cut Chap. I. and whence" it is derived. I j cut off from Church Ccmmunion, after thefirft and fecond Admonition. It is certain from the Scriptures that all this Power and Authority was given to the Church from the Beginning, and was exercifed by the Apoftles themfelves, and divers others appointed by them for that Purpofe, no one Part of it be- ing received from the Civil Magiftrate: Yet none were more loyal to Princes, none more obedient to Governours than thefe truly primitive Chriftians, and every * where they preached Obedience 5 Rom ^ to the higher Powers under the Penalty Tir. 3/1. &| of Damnation. But when they were lPer 2, 3- oppofed by the Rulers in the Execution of their Office, and forbid to preach the Gofpel to the People, they did by no Means think themfelves bound to obey, becaufe they wifely 6 judged it to 6 A& 4. j 9 . be more right to hearken to God rather than Man. Therefore notwithftanding all the Oppofitions they met with in their Miniftry, and all the Perfecutions they fuffered, they ceafed not to exer- cife the Authority committed to them by Chriji and to fulfulfil their Matter s Will. They preached the Gofpel, re- ceived Profelytes, gathered and fettled Churches, appointed Overfeers of the People whom they converted, perform- ing 12 Of Church Power in general \ Chap. I. ing all the Parts and Functions of Eccle- fiaftical Governours : And God himfelf teftified his Approbation of their Pro- ceedings in this Affair, by the won- drous Gifts and Graces lie beftowed up- on them, and the miraculous Works he enabled them to perform, The Church therefore and the Governours of it de- pend immediately on Chrift, and the Rulers of the Church receive their Au- thority from him only: yet this does not by any Means or in any refpeft ex- empt all or any of them from the Go- vernment of the State, they are ftill Subje&s, and owe the fame Obedience to the Higher Powers which other Sub- jects do, and that under the fame Pe- nalty of Damnation if they refift. For the Power of the Church is meerly Spi- ritual, 7 Chrifl would never himfelf ex- * Luk. 12.14. ercife any temporal Jurifdiftion, neither fjoh i8 8 iif' 8 g ave lie an Y fuch Authority to his Apoftles or their Succeflbrs. But the Power which Chrifl himfelf in fomePart exercifed here on Earth, and which at his Afcention into Heaven he gave by Commiffion to his Apoftles and their Succeffors was fuch a Power as the Ci- vil Magiftrate never had, and therefore made no manner of Encroachment on the Temporal Prerogative. For the Tern- Chap* I. and whence it is derived. 12 Temporal Power can reach no farther than to the Bodies and Goods of their Subje&s, but the Church Power affe&s neither of thefe, but the Soul only. The Power of the Church and of the State are then wholly different from each o- ther upon all accounts. The firft is purely Spiritual, and to be exercifed only in Spiritual Matters, fuch as the Magiftrate meddles not with, as Preach- ing the Word, adminiftring the Sacra- ments to fuch as they deem Worthy - y and withholding them from the Un- worthy, admonifhing fuch as do amifs, fufpending or depriving of Communion the obftinately Impenitent, abfolving the returning and repenting Sinner, or- daining fit Perfons for thefe Offices and fuch like : But the Magiftrate a&s in other Matters, ufes the Sword, punifhes fuch as break the Temporal Laws with Fines, Confifcations, Imprifonments, Banifhments and Death it felf. The Magiftrate may juftly punifh even peni- tent Sinners, but the Church cannot when they have given due Teftimonies of Repentance : And he can Pardon or remit the Punifhment of Impenitent Of- fendors, which the Ecclefiaftical Go- vernors cannot do. The Magiftrate may indeed Punifh the Breach of God's Laws 14 Of Church Power in general , Chap. I„ Laws as well as the Rulers of the Church, but not in the fame Way 5 He muft correct with the Sword and not with the Keys, which were never given to him. In a Word thefe two Powers are coordinate and perfe&ly diftindt from each other, and may very well ex- ift the one without the other. There have been many Kingdoms in all Ages wifely governed where Chrijl has had no Church: And on the other fide, Chrijl's Church ftood for Three Hundred Years, and his Minifters exercifed the whole Ecclefiaftical Authority, which he committed to them before it received any Countenance or Prote&ion from the State, However tho* Church-Pow- er be not derived from the Civil Magi- strate, yet the Supreme Governour of the State is nbt excluded from Govern- ment over the Church, he has an Au- thority circa facra, tho' not in Sacrk^ as I hope to make appear in the next Chapter; £BAP; 15 CHAP. ii. Of the Kings Supremacy. IT is certain that all Perfons are fub- jeft to the Temporal Government under which they live, and owe all due Allegiance to the Supreme Magiftrate under whofe Protection they are. 'Let r Rom - *** *« every Soul , fays the Apoftle, befnbjeftto the higher Powers. z " Every Soul, fays ZGr <*- <**!«*- " St. Chryfoftom upon the Place, is to be Pocdrca facra " fubjeft to the higher Powers, altho' c » I -^ 2 - " he be an Apoftle, an Evangelift or a " Prophet. And St. Bernard writing to a certain Arch-Bifhop, quoting the fame Words of St. Paul, has this Expreffion : " If every Soul, then yours alfo, for " who has exempted you out of all " Mankind. Neither does this Power depend on the Princes Religion, this Precept was given when the Supreme Magiftrate was an Infidel , and the Church it felf and its Minifters liable to Perfecution, if not aftually labouring under it. Cyrm and Artaxerxes had this Authority no lefs than David and Solo- mon, and Dioclefan as well as Conftan- tlne. if any Perfon might have been exempted from the fecular Power, cer- tainly 1 6 Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II. tainly our Saviour himfelf had been fo, yet whilft he was here on Earth he al- 1 Mat. 17. 27. wa Y s Submitted himfelf to it, and 2 paid ' Tribute alfo in token of his Acknow- ledgment of that Authority. His Apo- ftles and all his faithful Servants in the Primitive Church, and all fucceeding Ages have followed his Example in this particular. Nay even tjje Roman-Catho- licks themfelves, fuch as as have* not pinned their Faith upon the Popes Bulls have acknowledged all Perfons without Exemption fo be fubjeft to the Supreme Magiftrate: Thus the Faculty ofParfr, An. 1663, declared " that Subje&s owed " fuch an Allegiance to their King, as " could upon no pretence whatever be " difpenfed with. Even the Popifh Miffionaries in thefe Kingdoms have made the like Declarations, and would not recant them tho' they have been cenfured and excommunicated by the Pope for fo doing, as is evident from the Caufa Valejiana publifhed at London by Peter Waljh 2l Francifcan Friar, and Printed hy J. Br owe An. 1684. I will give you from thence the Words of Part of aProteftation made by the Ro- man-Cat holick Clergy in Ireland, and prefented to King Charles the Second, about the Year 1661, and Signed bv a Bi- Chap. He Of the Kings Supremacy. 17 Bifiiop and above twenty other Regulars and Seculars of that Communion. The Words are thefe. " Moreover we pro- " fefs that all abfolute Princes and " Supreme Magiftrates of what Religi- " on foever they be, are God's Vicege- " rents on Earth, and to them refpec- " tively, according to the Laws of eve- cc ry Common-Wealth , Obedience is " due in Civil and Temporal Matters. " And for this Caufe we here proteft "agairift all Do&rine and Authority " to the Contrary. And in the fame Inftrumerit alfo they declare that" they "do openly abdicate and renounce all " foreignPower,be it Papal or Regai,Spi- " ritual or Temporal which (hall pretend " to free, releafe or abfolve them froni " their Allegiance. Indeed I never heard of any but fuch as had given themfelves up to a blind Obedience to the Court of Rome, that have ever pre- tended that any Subjects, whether Tem- poral or Ecclefiaftical Perfons could be exempted from their due Allegiance to their Soveraign, unlefs it were fome wild Seftaries in the time of the late Rebellion, who founded all Dominion in Grace, but I hope none of that per- nicious Brood continue with us to this Day arnonp.ft any of our prefent Dif- C fenters. 1 3 Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II, fentcrs. Briefly there can be but one Supreme Government in the fame Place, and all Perfons of all Orders and Con- ditions living within the Bounds of its Jurifdiftion muft be fubjeft to it, and obedient to its Laws, i not only for *Roui. 13. 5. Wrath, but alfo for Conference fake. It being therefore certain that Spi- ritual Perfons are as well fubjeft to the Supreme Power as Temporal, it remains to be confidered what Pow- er the Soveraign Magiftrate has in Spiritual Caufes. The Articles of our Church confirmed by diverfe Parlia- ments and Convocations do affert that Art. 37- « The Queens Majefty ( by which we imderftand the Soveraign Magiftrate, whether King or Queen of this Realm,) " has the chief Power in this Realm " of ULngland, and other her Domi- cc nions, unto whom the chief Co- " vernment of all the Eftates of this " Realm, whether they be Ecdefiafti- " cal or Civil doth appertain, and is " not nor ought to be fubjeft to a- " ny foreign Jurifdiftion. And in the Form of Prayer appointed to be faid before all Sermons, Leftures and Homilies, Preachers and Minifters fhall 'an 5 5- require the People " mod efpecially " to pray for the King's moft excel- " lent r. Chap. II. Of the Kings Snpremacy. 19 * lent Majefty , our Soveraign Lord " William the third King of England, " Scotland, France and Ireland , De~ H fender of the Faith, and Supreme " Governour in thefe his Realms, and " all other his Dominions, over all " Perfons, and in all Caufes as well Ec- " clefiaftical as Temporal. From whence it is moft plain and evident, that both by the Laws and Canons of this Kingdom Eccfefiaftical Caufes as well as Tempo- ral are under the Cognizance of the So- veraigfl Magiftrate. And indeed if Spi- ritual Caufes might be exempted front his Jurifdiftion, his Authority would be little and inconffderable^ It would be no difficult Matter to make all Cau- fes in fome fenfe Spiritual : For where- ^ever any Wrong is done, whether it be Murder, Treafon, Robbery, Trefpafs, Non-payment or the like, there is an Offence committed againft God, and confequently might all be made Spiri- tual Caufes, and the Church only (hould take Cognizance of s em as fucb, and proceed againft the Offenders as Wick- ed Perfons who have juftly incurred its Cenfures. By which Means the Civil Fower would be reduced to a very nar- row Compafs, it fnav be to nothing. But as I take k, the Church and Magi- C 2 ftfate io Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II, ftrate have in all Cafes a co-ordinate Power: The Magiftrate by punifhing any Offender, deprives not the Church of its juft Authority, neither does the Church by its Cenfures deprive the Ma- giftrate of his Power. The Magiftrate Punifhes all Offences againft his own Laws with the Sword, and the Church cenfures all thofe which break the Laws of God. Therefore where an Offender is at the fame time guilty of the Breach both of Human and Divine Laws, I fee not any Reafon why he fhould be ex- empted from fuffering both Temporal and Spiritual Punifhment : And notwith- (landing the Magiftrate tries him at his own Tribunal, and infli&s fuch a Pe- nalty on him as the Laws judge him to have deferved ^ yet I do not fee that this hinders his proper Spiritual Judge from cenfuring him alfo for offending againft the Laws of God. I do not fay that he is to be cited into the Ecclefi- aftical Court for what has been already punifhed in the Temporal, that would be both hard and unreafonable: Fori look upon the Ecclefiaftical Courts as they are now managed, to have much more Temporal than Spiritual belonging to 'em, and it would be unjuft that a Man fhould have two temporal Judg- ments c Chap. IL Of the Kings Supremacy. 2 1 merits pafled upon him for the fame Crime. But my Meaning is, that not- withftanding a Man has received a tem- poral Punifhment for his Offence, yet his own proper Paftour who has the Care of his Soul committed to him, may ufe his fpiritual Authority to re- prove, rebuke and exhort him, and even to deny him Communion too, 'till he has given Teftimony of his Sincere Re- pentance, But now as to pure Spiritual Matters or Caufes, 'tis certain the Supreme Ma- giftrate has Cognizance of them alfo, but it is only a Temporal not Spiritual Cognizance. He may judge of all Doc- trines, and declare whether this or that Faith, this or that Article of Faith (hall be preached in his Dominions. I do not fay that fuch a Law binds the Mi- nifters of Chrijl to an a&ive Obedience, yet if it be efbiblifhed by the Legiflative Authority it binds all Subje&s to a Paf- five Obedience, they are obliged to fub- mit to the Penalties infii&ed by that Law, and not to refift the Authority by Humane Force. For tho* in this •Matter the Supreme Power by enac- ting what is contrary to God's Will abu- fes his Authority, yet Subje&s cannor judge him for it, that belongs properly C 3 to 22 Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II. to God, to whom only all Supreme Legislative Powers are fubjeft, for the Supreme Power where-ever it is lodged, whether in a (Ingle Perfon or Commu- nity can have noSuperiour upoqEafth: Becaufe it implies a Contradiftion, that the Supreme Power (hould have a Syperiour. The Magiftrate may there- fore call any of his Subje&s before him, and judge him concerning his Religion, whether it be agreeable to the Laws of the State or not, and none can juftly except againft his Jurifdi&ion in this Matter. Thus St. Paul and the other Apoftles and Primitive Preachers of Chriftianity were carried before Rulers and Judges, to be tried concerning their Do&rine, yet they made no Exceptions againfl: the Temporal Authority in this Point. On the contrary St. Paul made < Aft. 25. io bis Declaration that he flood at « CJE- SAR'S Judgment Seat where he ought to be judged, yet not according to the Divine but the Temporal Law, therefore he * A&. 25. 8. pleaded 6 that neither againfl the Law of the JEWS, neither againfl the Temple, nor yet againfl CIESAR, had he offended any thing at all. But had they gone a- bout to judge him Spiritually, in-order to proceed to Ecclefiaftical Cenfures a- gajnft him, there is no Queftion but he Chap. II. Of the Kings Supremacy, 25 he would have told them that this was no part of Temporal Power, that the Keys of God's Church were not com- mitted to them, nor was he bound ill Confcience to acknowledge them pro- per Judges in this Affair. Neither does a Prince by becoming Chriftian acquire any fuch Ecciefiaftical Power. For the Authority of all Supreme Governments is, and muft be the fame in every Re- fpeft be their Religion what it will. So that a Chriftian Magiftrate has no more Power over Ecciefiaftical Perfons or in Ecciefiaftical Caufes than an Infidel For where they are Supreme their Au- thority equally extends over all Perfons and in all Caufes to judge of them by the Temporal Laws ^ Difference in Re- ligion making no Difference in the Au- thority : And the Grand Seignior has the fame Legal Authority over theGreek Church within his Dominions, that the French King has over the Galilean. It is not material to enquire how they, or any other Supreme Power do or may abufe this Authority, but I will endea* vour to fhew how they ought to ufe it. In t\\t firft Place they fhould employ' their Power to proteft and Defend the Church of God, according to that of. C 4 the 24 Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II. ? Ifc. 49- 2 3- the Prophet, 7 IG//£/ yW/ be thy nur- fing Fathers and their Qttcens thy nur- fing Mothers. They are therefore to take care particularly that all the Mem- bers of the Church under their Protec- J 1 Tim. 2. 2. tion, 8 may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godlinefs and Honejiy, for it is upon this Account that the Apoftle ex- horts the Church to pray for them. In Order to which they (hould fee that the Minifters of Chrift be maintained in all their juft Rights and Privileges. So the Good King Hezekiah, when he began to reform the Abufes committed *2Chr.3i4, by his Predeceffors, 9 commanded the tfit: ' People that dwelt in jerufalem, to give the Portion of the Priejls and Levites, that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord. And not only commauded this, but went alfo himfelf to fee it done, and appointed Cononiah the Levite and Shimei his Brother with diverfe others to take Care of the Stores which were brought in, and to be Overfeers of the Churches Treafury, and thus he did throughout all Jaclea. ' In the next Place it belongs to the Su- preme Magiftrate to reform the Church when it is corrupted with Idolatry, Herefy or Superflition. Thus Jojhtta • t f a u. comma Hded the People ' to put away the : ~.°" " 4 " ,- ' Gods Ghap. II. Of the Kings Supremacy. 25 Gods which their Fathers ferved on the other fide of the Flood and in Egypt, and to ferve the Lord. \ King A/a alfo put away the abominable Idols out of all the \ 2 C ^ r ' l%% *' Land $ and made a Law that who/oever ' ' ' would not feek the Lord God of Iffael fiould be put to Death. And deprived his Mother Maachah of her Royalty, becaufe fie had made an Idol in a Grove. And his Son ■* Jehofiaphat completed * * Chr. 17. $ this Reformation by taking away the High Places and Groves out of Judah. The like did J Hezekiah, for he removed 3 2 King 18.4. the High Places, and brake the Images and cut down the Groves, and brake in Pieces the brazen Serpent which Mofes had made. For certainly the Civil Ma- gistrate may confirm the Law of God with Civil San&ions, and punifh the Breach of J em with corporal Penalties if he (hall fee Occafion. Thus befide thofe already mentioned, we find that 4 Nehemiah punifhed fuch as broke the 4 Neh. 1$. j*; Sabbath and Married ftrange Wives. &c Even Heathen Kings have done the like. 5 Nebuchadnezer made a Law that 5 Dan 3. 29. whofoevcr fiould /peak any thing ami/s of the God 0/Shadrach, Mefhach and Abed n ego fiould be cut in pieces, and their Hou/es fiould be made a Dunghil. And 6 Darim decreed that in every Do- * D:n. 6. 26. minim 26 Of the Kings Supremacy. Cluap.IL minion of bk Kingdom, Men tremble and fear before the God 0/ Daniel. The ancient Chriftian Emperours alfo made many Laws to punifh fuch as broke the Laws of God, as will be evident to any that (hall read the Hiftories of former Ages, or but look into the Theodofian or Jujllnian Code. Where the Law of God is plain and manifeft to all that read it, no doubt but Sove- reign Powers by their own Authority may confirm 'em without advifing with Ecclefiafticks. That they have Power alfo to do the like in dubious Cafes is fiot, as I think, to be difputed. But fure when they do fo, they do not pro- ceed either according to the Rules of Equity, Reafon or Prudence. tc I have 7 sir E. D's " often wifhed ( 7 faid a once Eminent Speech of Member of the Houfe of Commons, |[ame 8 ofje- e and no great Friend to the Church, jjbs. in a Speech made to that Honourable Houfe ) " that we might decline thefe " dogmatical Refolutions in Divinity, I " fay it again and again, that we are '■ not Idonei & competentes Jttdices in " do&rinal Determinations. Yet if the Supreme Powers will judge in fuch Matters, I know no Remedy but Pa- tience. But fure fhefe things belong properly to Ecclefiaftical Synods: with whom Chap. II. Of the Kwgs Supremacy. 27 whom the Supreme Powers ought in Equity to confult before they proceed to any Do&rinal San&ions. Yet upon due Advice had with the Church I cannot fee that the Magiftrate abufes his Authority by confirming the Re- folutions of his Ecclefiaftical Council by his Civil Decrees: For thus was rhe Faith confirmed in the four firft great general Councils. Again the Supreme Magiftrate may compel the Clergy to do their Duties in their feveral Stations by his Civil Authority : For which we have the Example of 8 Jehojhaphat, and Hezekiah 8 iChr.ip^fc and other godly Rings of Judith. * He ^ & ap * 5 may alfo appoint what Priefts fhall & I a4 . 3*. x 4 Minifter before him, and < remove 1 ' Kin £*' 3*- Wicked Priefts from performing their Office in his Dominions, and put bet- ter in their room. But he cannot or- dain aPrieft, nor appoint whom he pleafes to execute that Office, for this was the » Sin of Jeroboam who made * r King.9.33. Ifrael to Sin. Neither can the Sove- raign himfelf execute the Minifterial Office, or any Part of it himfelf 5 This was the 3 Sin of Saul for which God *^ m ■*"' firft reje&ed him, and of 4 Uzzlah who * achnaftitf, was therefore fmitten with Leprofy and & c cut off from the Houfe of the Lord, and a8 Of the Kings Supremacy. Chap. II. and deprived even of the Adminiftra- tion of Civil Affairs, tho' he retained the Title of King. In a Word the Ma- giftrates Power is purely Civil, and tho* he may decree and judge in Ec- clefiaftical Affairs yet it muft be in a Temporal not an Ecclefiaftical Man- ner. I have nothing more to add under this Head, but only that I would not be underftood to think our King has all the Authority which I here allow to the Supreme Power, becaufe he is tied up by Laws which he cannot al- ter himfelf alone : But at the Head of his Parliament he has certainly all the Authority here fpoken of. What there- fore his Majefty may do by virtue of his Royal Prerogative without the con- fent of the States I pretend not to de- termine : It is certain with their con- fent he has as unlimited a Power as any Prince in the World. And in this Senfe I fuppofe our Second Canon is to be underftood , which equals his Power to that of any Chriftian Empe- rour. For it is unreafonable that his Power over the Church fhould be greater than it is over the State, or that he fhould make Laws for the Government of the Church, otherwife than Chap. ill. Of the feveral Orders, &c. 29 than the Laws of the Land have em- powred him to do. CHAP. III. OfthefeveralOrders of the Clergy. THO* the Supreme Power over all Perfons and in all Caufes be vefted in the Civil Magiftrate, fo that no Perfon in his Dominion is exempt from his Jurifdi&ion, nor any Caufe from his Cognizance $ yet, as I hope I have prov'd in my firft Chap- ter, there is a particular Order of Men who have a different and co-or- dinate Power in the Church, having received their Commiffion imme- diately from Chrijl himfelf : Thefe are called Clerks or Clergy Men from Iftfifcff which fignifies a Lot or Portion, ■ v\{\. 21. c *. * becaufe the Lord is their Portion , z Num. 18.20. and they are to be maintained out of|^g U 2 rio,5? ' thofe Revenues which were given for the Service of Chrijl and his Church. Thefe are of three Degrees or Or- ders : For in the Preface to the Form and Manner of making and confedera- ting Biffjcps, Priefls and Deacons, our Church go Ofthefeveral Orders Chap. III. Church tells us that " It is evident " to all Men diligently reading holy "Scripture and ancient Authors, that "from the Apoftles time there hath " been thefe Orders of Minifters in " drift's Church, Btjbops, Priefts and " Deacons 5 which Offices were ever- " more had in fuch reverend Eftimati- " on, that no Man by his own pri- * vate Authority might prefume. to " execute any of them, except he wefc "firft called, tried and examined, and "known to have fuch Qualities, as " were requifite for the fame, and al- " fo by publick Prayer with Impofiti- " on of Hands, approved and admit- " ted thereunto. The loweft Order of the Clergy in the Church of England , is that of Deacons, whofe " Office ( as we learn from the Form and Manner of ordering Deacons ) " is in the Church where "he (hall be appointed to ferve$ to " affift the Prieft in Divine Service , " and fpecially when he adminiftreth " the Holy Communion, and to help " him in the Diftribution thereof, and " to read Holy Scriptures and Homi- " lies in the Congregation, and to in- " ftruft the Youth in the Catechifm, " to Baptife and to I reach, if lie be " there- Chap. HI. of the Clergy. ^x " thereto admitted by the Biflhop. "And furthermore it is his Office, " where Provifion is fo made, to fearch " for the Sick, Poor and Impotent Peo- " pie of the Parifh, to intimate their " Eftates, Names and Places where they " dwell unto the Curate, that by his cc Exhortation they may be relieved " by the Parifli, or other convenient " Alms. The Priejls (us appears from the Form and Manner of ordering Priejls ) " are " the MeflTengers, the Watchmen and H the Stewards of the Lord, to teach, " to premonifh, to feed, and provide " for the Lord's Family, to feek for " Chrift's Sheep which are difperfed " abroad, and for his Children which "' be in the midft of t his naughty World, " to be laved by Chrift for ever. And their Office is, " to Minifter the " Doftrine and Sacraiments, and the " Difcipline of Chrill:, as the Lord " hath commanded, and as this Realm " hath received the fame. To be rea~ " dy with all faithful Diligence to " banifti and drive away erroneous "and ftrange Do&rines contrary to " God's Word, and to ufe both pub- " lick and priv ate Admonitions and *' Exhortations, as well to the Sick as 32 Of the federal Orders Ciiap. HI. " to the Whole within thefc Cures, " as need fhall require and Occafion be " given. To maintain and fet forward " ( as much as in them lieth ) Qui- " etnefs, Peace and Love among Chri- " ftians , and efpecially among them " that are or (hall be committed to their " Charge. The Bijhop, befides what belongs to the Prieftly Office fas is apparent from the Pra&icc of this Church ) has the Power of conferring Orders by him- felf on Deacons, with the Amftance of his Presbyters on Priefis , and of his Fellow-Bifoops on Bifiops. He has an inherent Right of infli&ing and loofing Spiritual Cenfures. And it is alfo peculiar to his Office to confirm or lay Hands on Perfons baptized, The Infli&ion and Loofing Spiritual Cenfures is an Office fometimes dele- gated to Presbyters : But Ordination and Confirmation are adminiftred only by Biftiops. The Offices of Deans, Archdeacons^ Canons, Chancetours, &c. are no Or- ders in the Church, but were intro- duced very early into it for the bet- ter Government thereof, however I purpofe in the enfuing part of this Difcourfe to treftt of their feveral Or? Chap. IV. Bifhops and Priefts diftinU &c. 33 tf Originals according as my Method will lead me. CHAP. IV. That Bijlwps and Priefts are diftinff Or- ders Proved from the Scriptures. THE Offices of Priefts or Presbyters and Deacons, are lb apparently diftinguifhed in the New Teftament, that I know not that ever it was dif- puted by any Perfon : But the Diftin&i- on between Bijhops and Presbyters has been in thefe two laft Ages difputed by fome. And indeed it mud be ac- knowledged that in Scripture times the Names Bifiop and Presbyter were pro- mifcuoufly ufed to denominate the fame Order, and generally that which we now call the Order of Priefts. Thofe whom we now call Bifiops being in the iirft Age of the Church, moft common- ly called Apoftles or Angels, as (hall be (hewed hereafter. But it is not the Name, but the thing it felf which we contend for. And that which we affirm is, that the Scripture in feveral places plainly fpeaks of fome Perfons appoint- D ed §4 Bifiopj and Pritfts diflfoff Chap.IV. ed by the Apoftles to govern the Flock of Chrift, to Baptize, to Teach and In- draft 'em in the Do&rines of Chriftian Religion whom they called Presbyters or Elders, and fometimes Biflops,' and that others were appointed to Rule, Go- vern and Superintend thofe Elders. In proving therefore thefe Orders of Priefts, Presbyters or Elders, and Bi~ Jhops diftinft from Priefts and appointed to Rule and Govern 5 em, I (hall not fo much infift upon the Diftin&ion of Names as Offices, which I look upon to have been at leaft apparently diftinft from each other ever fince the Apoftles Days, arid conftituted fo by them. And that immediately after their Days, the Names alfo were fo plainly diftin- guiflied, and fo particularly appropria- ted to thofe diftind: Offices, that no Man who reads the Hiftory of the Pri- mitive Church, in any Author that has written of thofe times, can doubt of their being diftinfl: Orders. 'ViJ.Beverid. l In the Jewijh Church were three Or- adCan - A P 2 dersof confecrated Perfons appointed by God himfelf, The High-Prieft, the Priefts and the Levites. So likewife in the Chriftian Church as it was conftitu- ted by Chrift himfelf in his own Life* *H<& 4.14,1- time, there was JeTus Chrift, call'd l mr High- Chap. IV. Orders proved from Scripture. g 5 High'Prieft, then the Twelve Apoftles, and laftly the Seventy Difciples, who were certainly inferiour to the Apoftles, tho they were neither Ordained nor Go verned by them. For it is manifeft that many Chriftian Inftitutions were deri- ved by our Saviour and his Apoftles from the Jetvifi Ufages. Thus the two Sacraments of Bapttfm and the Lord's Supper were taken from the Jewi/b Bap- tiftn, and the Poftc£ninm after the Pafif- bvet: And Ordination by Impofition of Hands is derived from their Ordina- tion in the Synagogue, and our way of Excommunication is expreily taken from theirs. Our Cathedral Churches anfwer to their Temple of jcr/tfalew, and our Parifli Churches to the^yna- gogues : And for this Reafon it is that we find among the Ancients fo much concerning one Altar, and the fetting up Altar againft Altar, when a Schif- matical Biftiop endeavoured to with- draw the People from the Communi- on of their true Bilhop, alluding therein to the Jerviflj Temple which was but: one, tho* the Synagogues were many. And therefore our Diffenters are miftak- en in their Argument, when from this x one Altar they would inferr that a Bi- lhop could have but one Congregation D 2 of 36 . Bifhops and Priefts diftinS Chap. IV. of Chriftians under his Care • for One Altar, that is one Cathedral Church was and is as confiftent with many Commu- nion Tables or Pariih Churches as one Temple was with many Synagogues. And as many Chriftian In fti tut ions were derived from the Jews, fo no queftion are the feveral Orders of the Clergy^ , P IJ9 , E( j; t and 3 St. Clemens Rornanus in his firft E- Coiomcfo piftle to the Corinthians under the Title of High-Prieft, Priefts and Levites, does manifeftly defign the Bijtop his Priefts and Deacons. And it is not to be doubt- ed but our Saviour and his Apoftlesand the Primitive Church, which heartily defired. the Converfionof the Jews, did therefore retain as many Jewifl) Cu- ftoms, as were confiftent with Chriftian Liberty and confecrated them tothefer- vice of Chriftianity, making fome of them Chriftian Sacraments, which were only pious Cuftoms before, The firft Biftiop then in the Chriftian Church was our bleffed Lord himfelf, ♦ i Pet. 2. 25. called therefore by 4 St. Peter the Shep- herd and Biftjop of our Souls: His twelve Apoftles were his Presbyters, and his ye- venty Difciples as it were his Deacons. Whilft our Saviour lived on Earth he ruled and governed his Church Perfo- nally, and tho' the Apoftles could preach and Cfaap.1V. Orders proved from Scripture, 37 and baptize and pronounce Re miffion of Sins, which is the Priefts Office now, yet could they not perform the Funfti- ons of the Epifcopal Office to give o- thers a Commiflion to preach the Gof- pel. But when Chrift was rifen and ready to afcend into Heaven, then he enlarged the Apoftolical Power : And gave them Authority to colled and fet- tle Churches, and to give Commiffions to others as he himfelf had done, s As J J oh - 2C ar my Father hath fent me, fays he, even fo fend I you. And when he had j aid this, he breathed on them ,fay r ing, Receive ye the Holy Ghoji. Signifying to them by this Emblem of breathing on them, that they fhould 6 be baptized with the Holy Ghoji 6 A& 1.5, 8. in a fhort time, and that they fhould re- ceive Power, after that the Holy Ghoji was come upon them. And therefore * 7 Aa. 2. 1 . &c. when they had received the Holy Ghoji on the Day of Pentecoft, they began to colled and fettle the Church, and to govern it by thofe Rules they had received from Chrift. It is^ certain that the Apoftles by this Commiiiion received an Additional Power to what they had before, viz. by the Holy Ghoft's defen- ding on them 5 Our Saviour had fent them out to preach and baptize in his own Life-time, but now he fends them D 3 even g8 Bijhops andPriefts diftintt. Chap. IV. even as he himfelf was fent by the Fa- ther. Tis moft certain that they could not be fent by him to be Mediators and ?i T>* 2. 5. Redeemers as he was : For s there is but one Mediatour between God and Man, the Man Chriji Jefus. Therefore this new Commiffion can be underftood only of the fame Authority of exercifing Eccle- fiaftical Difcipline which Chriji himfelf had received of the Father, and of Or- daining others to the fame Office. By Virtue of their firft Ordination whilft Chriji continued with them in the Flefh they preached the Gofpel , but by this laft, fupplying the Place of their Mafter, they themfelves alfo created others with the fame Epifcopal Authori- ty which themfelves had received. For \is plain that this Commiffion was not meerly perfonal to the Apoflles, but de- signed to continue in the Church fa long as it fhould be Militant here on Earth, becaufe our Saviour, at the fMit.28. 20. granting of it, 9 promifed to be with them always even tinto the End of thz World. »Vid.Beverid. ' When therefore the Apo fries had for M can. Ap 3. fonie time exerciled this Epifcopal Au~ thoritybw themfelves, becaufe the Num- ber of the Faithful daily encreafed, and ■h r -y thciiuelveswere act to live always, Teft Chap. IV. Orders proved from Scripture. 3 9 left the Church fhould be deftitute of this Authority after their Deaths, they inverted others with this Power whom they fet over particular Churches, that they might ordain Elders, and govern the Flock committed to their charge within their feveral Precin&s.For the A- poftles Commiffion reaching to all Parts of theWorld,and they being commanded to l make all Nations Difciples, to go in 'Mat.28, 19,8c to all the World and to preach the Gofpet Mar. 16. ij. to every Creature, could not be long fix- ed in any one Place ; Yet it was necef- fary that Pafiors and Teachers (hould be fettled among all Believers, who might continue to inftruft and teach s em, ro offer up Prayers for 'em in the publicfc AiTemblies and to adminifter the Sacra- ment to em. Hereupon they * Ordain- * a& r 4 . 23, ed them Elders in every Church : That is a Bifbop with a competent number 01 Presbyters and Deacons to affift htm, as will be evident from what fhali be faid hereafter, a Thefe were Rulers of the : H:b , Church wherein they were placed, and the People were commanded to obey 'em. But tho' they were Rulers yet their Authority extended not over the whole Church, but only that Flock over which the 4 Holy Ghojl had made them 4 a& ^ y$. Overfeers or Brfiops. They were, fixed D 4 to 40 Bifoops and Priefis diflin& Chap. VI. to a particular Place, and the Spiritual Goverment of all Perfons within thofe Limits was committed to 'em. And in this Divifion into particular Diftri&s ( which was prudential at the Apoftles Difcretion ) the general Divifion of the Empire was obferved. It was ne- ceffary that particular Churches fhould be circumfcribed within certain Bounds, but it was indifferent where thofe Boun- daries fhould be fixed. The Apoftles therefore took the Limits already laid out for them, and accordingly fetled 5 Tit i. $. Churches, and s either Ordained them- felves, or appointed others to Ordain Elders in every City, or City by City, as Dr. Hammond renders it. And herein they thought it expedient ftri&ly to ob- ferve the Imperial Divifion, fo that the • Can. 17. Council of Chalcedon decreed,that if the 6 Emperour fhould change the condition of a City by his " Authority, the Or- " der of the Parifh Churches fhould fol- " low the Civil Conftitution. Thus the 6 Power, and Authority of thefe Elders was confined within thecompafsofthat particular City and its Territories,where they were ordained to Minifter, and all within thofe Limits were under their Care and Jurifdiftion. They were in- deed Bifhops, and Presbyters of the U- niverfal Chap. IV. Orders proved from Scripture. 41 niverfal Church ( For the true Church is but one and the fame in all parts of the World ) but for the fake of Decen- cy, and Order , and that each Paftor might know his own peculiar Flock, it was neceiTary that the Catho- lick Church fhould be divided into particular Churches. And it is obferv- able that where the Scriptures fpeak of the Churches of a Province, the Plural Number is ufed, as the Churches of Judea, Samaria, Syria, Cilicia, &c. But where they fpeak of a City , they ufe the Singular Number, as the Church of Jerufalem^ Corinth , Ephefus , &c Yet it is evident that there were many Pres- byters and Congregations in one City , as has been proved byY)x. Maurice ^m his Treatife of Diocefan Epifcopacy, and Dr. Stillingfleet in his Unreafonablenefs of Se- paration, and by the Presbyterians too, in their Writings againft the Indepen- dents. The fame will alfo appear plain to anyonewhoconfiders that at one time in the City of Jerufalem, and that not long after the Defcentof the Holy Ghoft there were 7 Five Thousand Believers, and 7 Aa that after this 8 Believers were the mare 8 Aft. 5. 14. added to the Lord, multitudes both of Men and Women. Now let any reafon- ablePerfon judge if all thefe could be of 42 Bifhaps and Priefis difiinft Chap. IV. of one Gongregation, efpecially when itisfcarce poflible that they could have any publick Place for the Exercife of their Religion, where the chief Rulers arefuch Enemies to the Faith : Yet 'tis *Aa. 15.4. certain they were efteemed but? One Church. And therefore even according to the Scriptures,Church and Congregation are not convertible Terms as our Diffen- ters would pretend. Amongft the Elders &t over particu- lar Churches, there was one Chief or Prejtdent, who had an Authority over the reft, and a Power to Ordain , Rule, and Cenfure "em. Thus Evodius presid- ed at Antioch, Linus or Clemens at Rome, and to omit many others, Titus at Crete, and Timothy at Ephefus , where they were fixed by fome of the Apoftles, and Exercifed this Power of Ordaining, and Governing. That Titus Exercifed this Power at; Crete , not only the Ancient Fathers have afferted, as Eufebius, Theo- doret, Arnbrofe, Jerom, and others, but it is plain and evident from the infalli- 10 Tit. 1- . So likewife Epaphroditus is called in the Epiftle to the Philippians, he hav- ing Epifcopal Authority committed to iphiU . 2 ^ him in that Church. 2 J fuppofed it ne- cejfary, fays St. Paul, to fend unto youE- paphroditus, my Brother and Companion in Labour, and Fellow-Souldier, but your Apoftle. In our Tranflation indeed it is rendred Meffenger, but it feems to be without good ReafonfoTranflated, for the Original is Apoftle. And had Epa- phroditus been no more then a fingle Mejfenger fent to Rome from Phitippi with Money to fupply St. Paul's Wants whilft he was there in Prifon, we can- not fuppofe he would have called him not only Brother, but Companion in La- bour and Fellow-Soul dier. He is not men- tioned in the Superfcriptionof the Epi- ftle,becaufe he was thePerfonby whom it was fent. 3 Andronicus and Junius alfo *' ^m- i& 7. are faid to be of note among thz Apoftles: that is, Eminent Apoftles/or Biihops. **:r v 9 s $ And 48 Bifhops and Priefts diftintt Chap. IV. And St. Paul upon another occafion fpeaking of Titus and fome others of his Brethren or Fellow-Workers, callsthem the Apoflles of the Church of thrift. Our Tranflation indeed calls 'em Mejfingers, but the Original is Apoftles. The word Apoftle in its Primitive Senfe being no more then Mcjfenger : And they were fo called as being the particular Mcjfengers of Chrifi. And therefore as the Bijhops are call- ed Apoftles by St. Paul, fo are they called Angels by St. John: Which is another Greek word Signifying a Mejjenger. For 'tis evident that the Angels of the Seven Churches were the Bifoops of thofe Churches : Their Office, Power and Commiffion being plainly Such as we now call Epifcopal, and the Same which is exercifed by our prefent Biftiops. Par- ticularly Epifcopal Power is intimated 'Rev. a . 20. in the R.ebuke given to 5 the Angel of the Church of Thyatira, who is reproved for permitting a falfe Prophetefs to fe- duce the People to commit Iniquity. Which furely would not have been done unlefs this Angel had the Power and Au- thority of a Bifhop y to Excommuni- cate and caft fuch a Perfon out of the Church,or Inflict fucliEccleiiaftical Cen- fures on her as might reftrain her from her Chap. IV, Orders proved from Scripture. 49 her Folly, or-at leaft-wife fet fuch 4 Mark upon her by fome publick Pen- nance, as might deter others from be- ing feduced by her. For if this Angel had wanted fuch a Power, he would have been unjuftly condemned for the Wkkednefs and fubtil Artifices of this pernicious Jezabel , fince he was no otherwife partaker in her Wickednefs than merely in fuffering it. The fame Power is alfo intimated to be in 6 the It would be unreafonable for him to bear the Blame of other Mens Faults, if he had no Pow- er to corred 'em. And that they held this Epifcopal Office not for a limited time as mere Chairmen or Superintendents of the Pre f- bytery, but for their whole Life, is plain from what is Said to 7 the Aangel of the , Rev# 2 I( - Church of Smyrna, B: thou faithful unto Death, and I mil give thee a Crown of Life. Which furely muft be meant of being faithful in his Office, fince he is here apparently Spoken to, not as a private E Many 50 Bijfjops and Priefts difiinft Chap.IV. Man, but as an Angel or Bifhop of the Church, and if his Office was not for Life then this Precept had been vain. And that this alfo was an Office defign- ed to continue always in the Church, and not intended to expire with the firft Ages ofChriftanity is mod apparent frMt the Attention which all are 10 frequent- ly commanded to give to what the Spirit fays unto the Churches. For, if the Spi- rit fpoke unto an Order of Men which was not to continue beyond that Age, it would be impertinent fo often to call upon all Perfons to hear and attend ; efpe- tially in a Book defigned for the Ufe of the Church in all Ages to the End of the World. Certainly thofe Words He that hath an Ear to hear^ let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the Churches, which are feven times repeated, are defigned toi- let all Perfons know that they are con- cerned in what the Spirit fpoke to the Angels and with them to the Churches over which they prefided :" And that from the Reproof given tothefe Angels, all Bifhops may be taught carefully to watch over their Flocks, and as much as lies in them to extirpate all Herefies and Falfe.Doftrines, and that all the People might know how they ought to be fubjeft to their Bifhops, and not to Conn- Chap. IV. Orders proved fram Scripture. 51 Countenance thefe who make Schifms, or otherwife provoke their juft Cenfures. It cannot with any Ihew of Reafon be all edged that thefe Angels were but fimple Presbyter s or ParifiPriefts in their feveral Churches ^ for fure fuch emi- tf&ttfCkies as thefe feven could not be fupplied by a fingle Presbyter. Nay 'tis certain that in Ephefits there were^ di- verfe Presbyters whom * St. Paul fent 8 Aa.io i r . for to come tohimatMi/e/«f, and con- fequently the Angel of the Church of Ephefus cannot fignify the Presbyter of that Church, becaufe 'tis manifeft the Angel was but one, and the Presbyters were many. Befides it plainly appears that the 9 Angel of the Church of Per- 9 R e vA U gamvs had Authority over the very Pres- byters, fince he is blamed for fuffering the Doftrine of Bdaxm to be held in his Churchy But if every Teacher there had been Independent and he had no foverning Authority over other Pres- yters, how could he prevent any ones maintaining erroneous or heretical Opi- nions. And that it was the Office, not the perfonal Excellency of thefe Men which gave them the Denomination of Angels will appear evident to any one who confides the perfonal defefts charged E 1 upon 5*2 Bijhbps and Priefts diftinU Chap. IV. upon the Angels oiSardls and Laodicea. % Rev, 5. i 9 7. 2 The former is faid to be dead, that is, to Piety and Virtue, and is therefore perfonally called upon to repent, before any thing is faid concerning the Church over which he prefided : The latter is condemned for his Lukewarmnefs in Religion, and therefore threatened by Chrift to be fpued out of his Mouth. That the Angels in this Place cannot be put colle&ively to denote the feven 7 Rev. 1. 2 a Churches is moft certain, for l the An- gels and the Churches are perfeftly di- ftinguifhed from each -other. Neither can they fignify a colle&ive Body of Presbyters, or Membly of Elders, for then they would more properly be like- ned to feven Conftellations, than to fe- ven Stars : And they are all along fpo- ten to in the Angular Number as to (in- gle Perfons, except where there is an an apparent Apoflrophe to the Churches. This Apoflrophe is fo plain in every Place where the Plural Number is ufed, that none who reads thofe Paffages can doubt of it, except it be in that to the Church of Thyatira, where indeed there does feem to be a Plurality of Perfons fpoken to, before the Apoflrophe to the Church. fitevY*. »V 2 But unto you, I fay, (yfiv fi*\y») Dr.Reynalds, two eminent Presbyterians acknowledge thefe Angels to be fingle E 3 Per- 54 Bijhops andPricjis dijiinU Chap. IV. Perfons. But then they tell us 'tis cer- tain that thefe Angels were not Dioce- fan Biihops, and that it never was pre- yed, nor fas they conceive ) ever will be that they were fo : For which they give this ( as they thought J demonftra- tive Argument, that Parifoes were not divided into Diocefes in St. John'/ Days .• I fuppofe they meant Parifoes united in- to Diocefes, for the other Expreffion is Nonfenfe, unlefs they meant Patriarchal or Provincial Parifhes, which are no- thing to the Purpofe of this Controver- fy. But herein thefe five Learned and Orthodox Divines ( as they are called in the Title Page of their Book ) difco- vered their egregious Ignorance in Church Hiftory. For had they been a- ny thing acquainted with the State of the Primitive Church, they would have imderftood thatEpifcopal Diocefes were eftablifhed long before any Pariffaes were fetled, as I purpofe to (hew here- after. I (hall only obferve here, that Diocefes were divided into Pariflies, and not Parifhes united into Diocefes at firft : For the Bifhop was placed in the City with a convenient Number of Presby- ters about hirn, Part of whom he al- ways kept with him, and others he fent out to Preach and Adminifter the Sacra- meats Chap. IV. Orders proved from Scripture. 5 j merits as be faw Occafion : But fixed Parifh Priefls were not fettled till the End of two or three Centuries. Indeed thefe Authors make a great Noife about the Promifcuous ufage of the Names Bi/bop and Presbyter, but that is not the Matter in difpute, for I have fhevved that thofe we now callBijhops were then called Apojlles or Angels. But tho' during the firft Century or thereabouts the Name of Apoftle or An- gel was generally applied to thofe Per- fons who were of the firft Order in the Church, and the fecond Order was in- differently ftiled either Bifhops or Pres- byters 3 yet immediately afterwards , whilft one of the twelve Apoftles re- mained on this fide Heaven, thefe two Names became apparently diftin- guifhed. The Succeeding Governours of the Church humbly abftaining from the Name Apojiles were contented to be called Bifiops : And then the frcond Or- der were called altogether Presbyters $ And the Title of Biftop was from thence- forth appropriated to thofe who had the Power of Government, Confirmati- on and Ordination, as appears from the Teftimony of the Ecclefiaftical Writers of the Firft Ages which I (hall in the next place attempt to prove, E 4 And Bifiops W Pricjis diftinft Chap. VI. And I hope that thefe afore cited Te- ftimonies of Scripture joyned with the univerfal Suffrage of the whole Church may be fufficient to convince any un- prejudiced Perfon, that Bijhops as they are diftinB from Presbyters are of Apo- ftolical Inftitution. For there are di- verfe Pra&ices in the Church derived to us from the Apoftles for which we have no exprefs pofitive Precept in the New Teftament, but are gathered from the general Scope and Tenor of theGo- fpel and'from fome doubtful Places in it fo and fo underftood and interpreted by the unanimous confent of the uni- * Adverf.Hsr. verfalChurch. For here that 4 Golden «P< 3* Rule of Vincentius Lirinenfis muft have placed id teneatnns quod uhiq s, quodfem- per, quod ah omnibus credit urn eft. By "this we believe the Books of the Old and New Teftament to be the true pure Word of God, and no other, how Di- vine, Orthodox or Ancient foever they be. By this we rejeft as Apocryphal thofe Books which Pope Gel a fi us and from ihim the. Church of Rome have thruft into the Canon. By this Rule it is that we affemble for publick Wor- ship on the Lord's Dav, and San&ify and keep holy the firftDay of the Week jnftead of the feventh. And by this Ruffe it Chap. IV. Orders proved from Scripture. 57 H is that we Baptize Infants and admit Women to the Communion of the Lord's Supper. And to name no more, I know no other Rule fordiftinguifhing the Clergy from the Laity, or fetting apart an Order of Men to Minifter the Word and Sacraments. There is there- fore as good Authority to diftinguifh the Bifhops from the Presbyters as there is to have any Minifters in the Church at all. For the Scripture no where pofitively fays you fhall appoint a particular Order of Men to preach the Word, and adminifter the Sacraments, but we gather this Doftrine from the general Scope of the New Teftamerit, (which often fpeaks of Elders and Rulers in the Church and enjoyns an Obedience to them ) the Praftice of the Apoftles and the Obfervation of this Praftice by the whole Catholick Church in all Ages and all Countries, the Know- ledge of which is defcended to us. And certainly, as 5 MeUnthon has very well s Loc. Com- obferved, It is not fafe to admit any new {"4™ de Ba P r Doff vine for which we have received no Tejiimony from the ancient Church. By which Rule the Presbyterian Govern- ment can by no Means be allowable, or indeed any other Church-Government than the Epifcopal 5 there being no. Foot- 58 The fame proved from Chap. V. Footfteps of any other Government in or after the Apoftles Days 'till the Times of Reformation 5 And then Presbytery was firft eftabliftied at Geneva by Calvhi more thro' Neceffity than Choice, and this was the firft beft Plea they had for it, as Mr. Hooker has (hewed in his Pre- face to his Ecclejtafiical Polity. I (hall therefore proceed to (hew that as we gather from diverfe Paflages of Scrip- ture that there were two diftinft Orders of the Clergy, one to Preach and Ad- minifter the Sacraments, the other to Govern and Ordain the Minifters, fo al- fo that thefe two Orders have continu- ed apparently diftintt from the Apoftles Days downwards. I name only thefe two Orders at prefent, becaufe I purpofe to treat of the Deacons hereafter by themfelves : They being apparently diftinguifhedfromthefb two and Inferi- .our to both. CHAP. V. That BiJIjops and Priejls are diflinft Order* proved fromTejli monies of the Church. ^TpHE firft Teftimonies I (hall bring J_ from the Authority of the Church and Chap.V. Teflimonies of the Church. 59 and Primitive Fathers fhall be taken from Ignatius Bifhop of Antioch, who fuffered Martyrdom within fourfcore Years after our Saviour's Afcention into Heaven. In his Epiftle to the Trallians he writes thus, He that V within the Altar is pure : wherefore alfo he is obedient both to the Bijhop and Presbyters. And again in the fame Epiftle, ye ought every one of you, fays he, and chiefly the Presbyters to cheriflj your Bifoop. Writing alfo to the Magneffans, and having juft before fpo- ken of Damas their Bifhop, he from thence takes Occafon to exhort 'em not to contemn their Biftiops Age: But, fays he, pay him all Reverence according to the Witt of God the Father, as I know the Ho- ly Presbyters do, not looking upon the Youth that appears in him, but the Prudence which he has received from God. And to the Philadilphianrhe writes, Let the Deacons obey the Priefis, anctboih friefis and Deacons the Bifoep, the Bijhop Chrifi, as Chrifl obeys the Father, So that I think there never was a plainer Diftin&ion of Bifhops and Presbyters than is here made by this Reverend Father who was Cotemporary with the Apoftles. But the Paflages wherein he diftinguifhes the Bifhops from the Presbyters are fo many that it would be a tedious Work to 6q The fame proved from Chap, V. to enumerate all of 'em, and one might almofttranfcribe half of his Genuine E- piftles and yet not write all that he fays of Bifhopsand Presbyters as diftinft Or- , Lib 3 ,c, 2 . ders : And he himfelf as l Eufebius tefti- aiicer. 35/ 3 fies, was the Second Biftiop of Antioch after St. Peter, Evodius immediately pre- ceding, and Heros fucceeding him in that See. Thefe Epiftles of his, as the fame Eufebius informs us, were written by him as he was pafling from Syria to Rome, in order to fuffcr Martyrdom there by Order of the Emperor Trajan^ A. D. in. He had prefided over his Church almoft forty Years, whereby it is certain he converfed with fome of the Apoftles, perhaps with moft of 'em: For it is fcarce probable that he fhould be appoin- ted or Elefted Bifhop 'till he was forty Years of Age, and confequently muft be born before our Saviour's Death. Our Adverfaries have nothing to objeft a- gainft this moft Reverend and ancient Father, but only that the Epiftles which bear his Name are forged, but they may as well charge Forgery upon any Book of that Antiquity now extant. For his Epiftles ( I mean all thofe which are pub- lifhed as his Genuine Works) are every one mentioned by Eufebius, and cited by St. Polycarp the Difciple of 'St. John and cc- Chap. V. Teftimomet of the Church. 61 cotemporary to Ignatius him&lf, and by St. Irenms, who was born before his Death, and Origen who was not a full Century behind him. And as for the little Cavils made againft them or fome Paffages in them, they are all moft lear- nedly anfwered and the Honour of this Holy Martyr vindicated by Vojfius, the Reverend Primate Archbiftiop ujher, and Dr. Pearfon late Lord Bifliop of Chefter. My next Teftimonies for Epifcopal Government, and for Biftiops as diftinft from Presbyters (hall be taken from St. Cyprian Bifhop of Carthage who flourifh- ed not much above 200 Years after our Saviour's Attention. He tells us that * i Ep. 6$, our Lord himfelf eleUed Apoflles, that is, adds he, Bifiops and Prelates. And in a Letter of his to Cornelius Bilhop of Rome, uponOccafion of the Infolence ofFeli- ciffimus and Fortunate, two turbulent Presbyters who difturbed the Peace of that Church, he writes thus ^ 3 If it be 3 e p . $$. fo, my dearejl Brother, that the Boldnefs of evil Men is to be feared, and that re hat wicked Perfons are not able to compafs by Right and Equity they will effcB by Rafl)- nefs and Defpair, the Force ofEpifcopacy, und the Sublime Divine Power of Chart h Government is loft, neither can we be or continue Chriftians any longer, if it come to tfa? 62 The fame proved from Chap. V. this , that we muft be afraid of the Threat* nings or Snares of Profligate Wretches. Thus you fee this Holy and Ancient Father calls the Epifcopal Government Divine, and efteemed it fo neceffary to the Church of Chrijl, that he judged it impoffible for us to be Chriftians if the Epifcopal Authority was once contemn- ed by Presbyters. And again writing to the Lapfed, that is fuch as had fallen a* way and renounced the Faith in time of Ep. 27. Perfecution, 4 our Lord, fays he, whofe Precepts we ought to fear and obferve,fetling theHononr of the Bifoop and the St ate of the Church, fpeaks thus in the Gofpel, and fays unto Peter, I fay unto thee thou art Peter, and upon this Rock will I build my Church, and the Gates of Hell Jh all not prevail againji it\ And unto thee will I give the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven , and whatfoever thou foalt bind on Earth, Jha/l be bound in Heaven, and whatfoever thou fljalt loofe in Earth, J/jall be loofed in Heaven. From thence forwards the Ordi- nation of Biftops^ and the State of the Church has continued thro all the Changes of Times and Succejjions, fo as that the Church is founded upon the Biflwps^ and every AS of the Church is governed by them who are its Prelates. Thefe Tefti- monies fure are fufficient to (hew that St: Chap. V. Testimonies of the Church. 63 St. Cyprian judged that the Bijhops from our Saviour's own Life-time here on Earth had the chief Powers in all Eccle- fiaftical Affairs, and that no other was equal to em. And that he did not think Presbyters equal to 'em or the fame with em is mod certain, for he moft evident- ly diftinguifhes theBifliop from the Pres- byters in his * Epiftle to Antonianus,,^^ concerning the Schifm in the Church of Rome when Novatianus was fet up by his Party inOppofition to Cornelius their true Biihop. / wrote, fays he, to the Clergy 0/Rome, then without a Bifiop, and to the Confejfors, Maximus the- Pres- byter, and the rejl which were in Prifon with him. Nothing can be plainer than this Diftin&ion, for he fays they were without a BiJJjop, and yet at the fame time fpeaks of his Writing to Maximum the Presbyter. And the many Epiftles he writes to the Presbyters and Deacons of his own Church of Carthage, where- in he fpeaks of himfelf as their Bijltop, and frequently exprefles himfelf in an Epifcopal Stile, with Authority, as we fay, are fufficient Evidences that thefe Orders of Bifhops and Presbyters were diftintt in his Days. And in 6 three E-* Ep IO;Ul2< pifttes together he condemns hisPresby- tefs for not confidering the Honour and Obc- 64 The fame proved from Chap.V. Obedience they owed to theBifliopwho prefided over them, For further Satis- faction in this Matter and more Proofs from this Father concerning the Diffe- rence between Bifhops and Presbyters I 7 Ep 21,22,26, (hall refer to the 7 Epiftles cited in the *5,to7S* From the Teftimonies of particular Perfons I will proceed to theTeftimony of whole Churches. I will begin with the Apoftolical Canons, which ( as Dr. Beveridge has learnedly proved in his Annotations On them) were Conftituti- ons made by diverfe Councils held in the fecond and third Centuries. They tell 9 Can i 2. us t ^ lat 8 a Bi/hop fiall be ordained by two or three Bifhops : And a Presbyter and 9 Can. $. Deacon by one Bijhop. 9 That a Bijkop^ Priefl, or Deacon muji not put away his t c ^ Wife under Pretence of Religion. * That a Bijhop, Priefi or Deacon ought not to in- •Can. 15. volve himfelf in fecular Affairs. z That a Prieji or Deacon leaving the Diocefe to which he belongs, and going into another to dwell there without the confent of his Bi- Jfjop, and being required by his Bif/jop to re- turn, will not, jhall be excommunicated. Indeed almoft all thefe Canons which are eighty five inNumber have fomething in em (hewing Bifhops and Presbyter to be diftinft Orders. The Council of Eliberh L Chap. IV. Tejlimonies of the Church. 65 A. D. 905. mentions the three Orders of the Clergy in feveral Canons. 2 It for- * ^ n l8 . bids Bijhop s, Priejls and Deacons to leave their Churches to exercife Merchandize. It declares, 3 That when any P erf on falls » Can. 32. Sick, he ought to be received into Commu- nion by the Bijhop ^ but if the Sicknefs be violent , the Prieji may grant him Commu- nion , and even the Deacon if the Bijliop command him. The Council of Aries A. D. 314. 4 forbids one Bijhop alone to or- ic an . 20,- r. dain another and then immediately (lib- joy ns that neither Priejls nor Deacons JJjould relinquijl) the Churches in which they were fixed by Ordination: that is the Di* ocefe in which they were ordained. The general Council of Nice alfo feme few Years after this of Aries, makes a mod apparent Diftinftion between the Or- ders of Bifhop and Prieft,efpecially where it exprefly Ordains \ that neither Priejls $ r m . i6 , nor Deacons ftjal/ be received into another Church without the confent of their BiJJjup. I might foon fill a large Volume with Citations of this Nature out of Fathers and Councils within the four firft Cen- turies, for we have fcarce any Writings of Antiquity which do not diftinguHh thefe two Orders. The only Father of the Church our Adverfaries pretend to be of their fide is F St. 66 Thf fame proved from Chap. V. A Ep. 85. St. Jerome : 6 and he himfclf, tho' in the Heat of his PaiEon againft the Roman Deacons he exalts the Priefthoodto al- moft an Equality with Epjfcopacy, yet in the Height of his Anger allows the Bifliop a Power of Ordination which he 7 Di.n. adverf. acknowledges the Priefts had not. 7 He Lucif a if Q a ]i ows that the Bifliop has the only Right of adminiftring Confirmation. Yet it muft be confeiTed that St. Jerome does 8 pift. 95. c. y. lay 8 olim idem emf Presbyter qui & Epif- cJpTJd Tic C0 P^ tIiat an cientjy Bifhop and Presby- ter were the fame,, but herein he plainly Oppofes all Antiquity and the Traditi- on of particular Churches concerning their Bifnops^ and Is perfe&ly lingular in his Opinion : And it is manifeft by the Allegations he brings in defence of his Judgment in this Point, that it was grounded chiefly on thofePlaces of Scrip- ture where Biihops are called Presbyters or Presbyters Bifliops, and fo from Com- munity of Name would argue Commu- nity of Order : But I hope this Argu- ment has been Efficiently anfwered al- ready. And even St. Jerome himfelf al- io ws the Diftin&ion to have been made by the Apofties themfelves for the Pre- vention of Schifms, when each one faid I am oiJPaul and! oiApoMos and I oi Cephas. If any further Anfwer be defired to St. Chap. V. Teftimonies of the Church. 6j Jeroms Authority I muft refer to 9 Dr.o P432 ,&^. Maurices Book called, A Vindication of the Primitive Church. And yet if no o- ther Reply could be given to it than only to fay St. Jerome was miftaken, I think it would be fufficient : for I know not why his Authority (hould weigh more with us than the Scriptures and Councils and all the Fathers befides. But Men will take hold of any thing to maintain an Opinion they are fond of Yet after all St. Jerome himfelf (the great pretended Patron of Presbytery ) denies not Bifhops to be of Apoftolical, and confequently of Divine Inftitution, and always paid to Bifhops that Obedience and Refpeft which was due from him to them as he was a Presbyter. And for this Reafon I queftion not, none of his Cotemporaries or others went about formerly to confute him, becaufe tho' he was fomewhat particular in hisOpi- nion yet it had no Influence on his or a- Uf other Bodies to make them caft off due Subjeftion to their Bifliops. For Modern Teftimonies, fome of which I cannot forbear to produce, I (hall begin with part of a Speech of a Gen- tleman whoTufficiently declared himfelf a profeffed Enemy to the eftaMifhed* S j r £ >D>eciI . Church of "England, fitice as T he himfelf i*a on of F ± tells s ^h^ P 5 3 . 6-8 The fame proved from Chap. V, tells us, he brought into the Houfc of Commons that which was commonly called the Root and Branch-Bill, which was entituled An AS for the Vttcr al>- olifhing and taking axe ay of all Archbifiops, Bijhops, their Chanccllours and Commijfaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Arc hde cons, Prebendaries, Canons, and all their under 1 ibid. p. 127. Officers. His Words are thefe, " « They " who deny that ever any fuch Bifhops " [That is Biftiops prefiding over Pres- " byters] were in the beft and pureft " times ^ I intreat fome one of 'em ( if " any fuch be here) to ftand up and Ci (hew me, teach me how I may prove " that ever there was an Alexander of ^ Mace don or a Julius C£far or a William " the Conquerour in the World. For, &V, ' ; to me as plain it is that Bijfjops Prcfi- " dent have been the conftant, perma- " neut, arrd perpetual Governours of " the Church of God in all Ages. And tc this being matter of Faft, I do hope " that Hiflorical Proof will be fufficient " adequate Proof in that which in its " Fad is Matter of* Hiftory. But Proofs " herein are fo manifold and clear, that "I borrow the free and true A.ffertion 1 sir Tho. AG " of a Worthy and Learned * Gentle- rf 1 ! fe^T " man * ^ ma y hc thought" want of Will, ra- p ,, ^ " ther than want of Light which makes Men " deny Chap. V. Testimonies of the Church. 6 9 cc deny the Antiquity of Bifiops in thepri- u mitive Times. Therefore anfwer not " me, but anfwer Ignatius, anfwer Cle- " mens,Tert?t//ianJren£Us,nay anfwer the " whole indifputed Concurrence of the " Afian, the European and the African * Churches, All Ages, All Places, All " Perfons : Anfwer I fay all thefe, or " do as I do, fubmit to the fufficient Evi- " dence of a Truth. An j furely nothing cc but a mofi: demonftxative Truth could have extorted fucK a Speech from a de- clared Enemy to all the Bifhopsin Eng- land, and a profeffed Foe to the Hierar- chy. But this is not all, fome Pages af- ter in the fame Speech he fays: } " Pa- 3 p. 139* " rity of Degrees in Church Govern- " ment hath no Foundation in Holy " Scripture, and is as abfonous to Rea- " fon as parity in a State or Family. In- " deed it is a Fancy, a Dream, a meer " non Entity, it neither hath nor ever " had a Being. If it be any thing, it is "abfolute Anarchifme, and that is rio- " thing, for Privation of Government " is not a Government. And then a- gain he (hews that a Bifhop^ Office ftras perpetual not Temporary , in ihefe Words. 4 " But Sir I have heard fome « p . ^^ t . " among us fay, if then we muft have a €i Bifhop, let him be like a Pylot. only' F 3 "for jo The fame proved from Chap. V. " for a Voyage: Let him be like your " felf a Speaker only for a Parliament. " But I do affirm ah initio non f nit fie ^ " your Bifhop of old was not occafional, "pro re nati and immediately degra- " ded, nothing fo : But continued a fix- u ed, conftant, perpetual Moderatour " and Prefident for Life, unlefs outed " for his own Demerits. I will add another modern Teftimony which our Diffenters cannot juftly ex- 1 Naifon? col- cept againft. s Petrus Molinaus in his Jj£ Vo1 2< r ' Book de miner e Pafiorali, purpofely written to defend the Presbyterian Go- vernment, acknowledges u That prefent- " ly after the Apoftles time, or even in " their time, as Ecdefiaftical Hiftory " witneffeth, it was ordained, That " in every City one of the Presbytery " fhould be called aBifliop, who (hould " have Preheminence over hisCollegues " to avoid Confufion, which frequently " arifeth from Equality, and that truly " this Form of Government all Church- " es every where received. *D* imperio 6 Grotius alfo who can by no means be fuppofed Partial toEpifcopal Govern- iacra c ment afferts that " Epifcopacy had its §■ 5: " Beginning in the Apoftolical times, " This is teftificd by the Catalogues of " Bifhops left u? by Irensm, Enfehius, " So- it Chap. V. Tejli Monies of tie Church. 72 " Socrates, Theodoret, and others, who " all begin from the Apoftolical Age. " But to detraft from the Faith of fuch " Writers and fo agre^ble to one ano- u ther in their Affertions in an hiftori- " cal Matter is the part only of an irre- " verend and obftinate Mind. It is as " much as if you fhould deny that to be " true which all the Roman Hiftories de- ** liver, that the Confular Authority be- " gun upon the driving out thtTarquins. " But again let us hear Jerome, The Pres- " byters of Alexandria, fays he, from " Mark the Evangel ijl y always chofe one " whom they placed in a higher Degree a- " rnoug themfelves, and called himBiJJjop. " Mark died the eighth Year of Nero, to " whomXSt.Johnthc Apoftle yet living,) " fdCCeeded Anianus^ to Anianus Abili- " us, to Abilius Cerdo, the fame Apoftle " yet furvivingS7#*?# (after the Death " of James ) became Bifhopof Jerufalem^ " and after the death of Peter and Paul, " Linus , Anacletus and Clemens, were " Billiops of Rome fucceffively : And £- " vodittf, and after him Ignatius, held " theSeeofAntioch.Sxich Antiquity fure- " ly is not to be defpifed to which fuch " Men give their Teftimonies, as Igna- " titts, the Contemporary of the Apo* M ftles, Jufiin Martyr and IrznzM, - wfrofe F 4 " c own -jo The fame proved from Chap. V. " own Words I need nottranfcribe. AW * 6 indeed^ fays Cyprian, Biflwps are conjii- lc tuted in all Provinces, and in all Cities, " This Bifhop is of approved Divine " Right, or as Bucer fays, It feemed " Good to the Holy Ghoft that one a- " mong the Presbyters (hould have a fin- ■" gular Care of all. The Divine Apoca- " lyps affords an irrefragable Argument " to this AlTertion : Chrift himfelf com- " mands to be written to the kven An- " gels of the Ajiatick Churches. They c: who by the feven Angels underftand " the (even Churches domanifeftly con- ." tradift the facred Writ. It is ftrange " how far the love of Contradiftion can " draw Men, fo as they dare confound " what the Holy Ghoft has fo plainly " diftinguifhed. We deny not but the cc Name Angel in a general Senfe may be " in fome Meafure adapted to every Pa- !" (tour : But here is a manifeft Dire&i- " on to one in every Church. Was there 46 therefore but one Paftour in a City ? * £ Nofurely. For in St Paul's time there u were many Presbyters in Ephefus ap- tc pointed to feed the Church of God. " Why then were Letters lent to one in v< each Church, if no one had a more " peculiar and more eminent Funftion ? u tinder the Name of Angel fays Angufkim, " * c the Chap. V. Tefiimonies of the Church. 7 j "the Prelate of the Church is praifed, Je- " rome calls them Angels pre fi ding in the " Churches, Then he gives us the Tefti- monks ot Bu//inger, Marlorat, Bezamd. Reynolds who all acknowledge thefe An- gels to be Biftiops. And proceeds to (hew alfo that Timothy and Titus and diverfe others were Bithops properly fo called and conftituted by the Apoftles them- felves. And he fays pofitively that " thofe " which think Epifcopacy repugnant " to God's Will, muft condemn the " whole Primitive Church of Folly and cc Impiety. He tells us alfo u that vaft u Advantages have accrued to the u Church by Epifcopacy, as the Hifto- " ries of all times manifeft. And here a- u gain, fays he, I will bring him for my " c Witnefs, who of all the Ancients leaft 6i favoured the Bifhops, that is Jerome : u Thro all the World ■ fays he, it was de~ * creed that for the avoiding Schifmt and cc Contentions, one fljould. be chofen out of '■? the Presbyters and fit over the nji. And •5 elfewhere.* The Safety of the Church u confifs in the Dignity of the chief Pri eft ^ H that is the Bi/hop, to whom if there was , thinking their Houfe would not appear old enough if they could fix the Foun- dation of it no higher than the latter end of the fixth Century, made a legen- dary Story of their being fettled in that Place about the fecond or third Centu- ries, and would pretend that St. Colnm- ba was only the Reftorer, whereas he was indeed the Founder of their Houfe. 7 The prefent right Reverend Rifhop 7Hi{>af?cal of Worcefter, Dr. Loyd^ has therefore Account of learnedly refuted this Figment, andC;archGo- (hewn from moft evident Proofs, "That vcrnnuM - LC before Pal/adius his time there were " no Chriftians in Scotland, nor any Sects a in that Country, which is now called " by that Name till long after. That " his Miffion was not into Scotland but "Ireland : And that we have no a lib- • u ranee that he came into either of 'em, G 2 mixh 8 4 The fame proved from Chap. V , 'much lefs that he made any Bifhop " there, or indeed any Chriftian. Like- cc wife that Cohimha found no Chri- " ftians at Hy , much left any Cutdees " there $ and that he and his Monks 7 " who were the only Clergy in that Part u of Scotland where he had to do , knew u no other Ordination butEpifcopal,and "had a Bifhop amongft them for that " purpofe. That the Culdees are not cc mentioned by any Writer that lived " within five hundred Years of PaSadi- cc m, and are not faid to have been in " his Age by any Author that lived " within a thoufand Years after him. c " That Monkery was not yet in the cc World, much lefs in this If and at that £C time from which thev brins down " thefe Culdees. That the firft Monks " in Scotland were of no other fort than c j thofe in France and other Countries u where the Church was wholly go- " verned by Biftiops. That Columba "found nothing in Scotland to be re- " ftored, as they imagine, but began and " founded a Mona^ery there, and his " Monks (as many as took Orders) were fcC ordained by Biihops properly Co call- " ed, as the Monks were in all other " Countries. That commonly their Mo- " naileries were the Schools and Uni- verfities Chap. V. Tejlrmonies of the Church* 8 5 " verfities of thofe times, where Youth " were brought up and fitted to be put " in holy Orders 5 And then being " chofen and recommended by their Su- u periours , were ordained by proper Bi- " (hops, whether fetched from abroad 6C or refiding in the Monaftery for that *' purpofe. That the Bifhop who refi- " ded in the Monaftery fhould be fubjeft " to the Abbot tho* a Presbyter, was, as " Bede fays, an unufud thing. But at cc Hy there was a Reafon for it as unufu- " al as the thing it felf. For whereas " in almoft all other Places there were " Bidiops before there were any Mona- " fteries, and there it was not lawful to u build any Monaftery without leave of From . go The fame proved from Chap. V. 2. From the Multitude of Church Offi- cers in that Church. 3. From the vari- ety of Languages there. And 4. From the manner of the Chriftians publick Meetings in thofe primitive Times in Houfes, Chambers, or upper Rooms. 4. Thefe congregational Men pretend, that there was but one Altar in a Diocefs, that- is one Communion Table , and confe- qnently one Congregation and no more. But 'tis well known to all that have dipped into Antiquity, that only the Com- munion Table in the Cathedral Church was called the Altar : And therefore one Altar is as confident with many Communion Tables, as one Cathedral is with many Churches. But fuppofe they could have proved thefe Pofiti- ons, which yet they have not been a- ble to do, it would by no Means follow that Bifhop and Presbyter are the fame Order. They go upon a falfe Suppofi- tion, when they would make it effenti- al to a Bifhop, fuch as we have in the Church of England, to have more than one Congregation under his Care. A Bifliop may have no more Souls in his Diocefs than a Presbyter has in his Parifh, and it a&ually is fo with us : For I am perfwaded that the Minifters of St. Giles in the Fields, or St. Andrews Hoi- Ghap.V. Teftiwomes of the Church. 91 Holbom, or St. Margarets Weftminjler , have either of them more Souls in one fingle Parifh than the BiQiop of the Ifle of Man has in the feventeen Parifhes of his Diocefs. Yet this Proportion of the number of Souls does not degrade the Bifhopto a Presbyter, nor raife the Pres- byter to a Biihop. If our Adverfaries would fay any thing to the Purpofe, they ought to prove not that fome fingle "Con- gregations bad BifhopS} but that all who had fingle Congregations under 'em were Bifhops, and that there was no Diftin- ftion between a Bifliop and a Presbyter • And now I hope I have faid enough to fatisfy that this cannot be done. And after all can it be thought reafo- nable,or indeed lawful, for the Church of England to lay afide this Primitive Or- der of Bt 'flops ? Or fo far to comply with the Presbyterians, or Other Dijftn- ters, as to allow their Ordinations to be valid > This would be to aft contrary to a plain Apoftolical fajlitution, and the content Praftice of the whole Catholick Church in all Ages and all Places from the firft Eftabliftiment of Chriftianityto the Times of the Reformation. Indeed ma- ny poor mil-Meaning Di/Jenters are pre- poffefied with ?. falfe Notion, tlmEpif- copacjt is a ReUck of Popery, as they are ibme- 9 1 The fame proved from Chap. V. fometimes pleafed to Term it: But they are herein very much deceived, for Po- pery has continually more leflened than encreafed the Epifcopal Authority : As is manifefted by the many Places and Or- ders exempted from the jurisdiction of their proper Bifwps, and by the giving a greater Power and Authority to Car- dinals and Legates, tho 5 but meer Priefis or Deacons, than to any Bifloops except his Holinefs of Rome. Nay thefe meer Priefis or Deacons have exercifed an Au- thority over Bijhops 5 fufpended them from their Office, and deprived them of their Dignities. It has been alfo affirm- ed by fome Schoolmen and Canonifts, *. 9 Astexanus. that the Pope may grant a Commiffion Lib. 6. Tir. 3. to a Clerk, to conferr fuchOrders as he Arc * '• himfelf has, viz. That a Prieft by fuch Commiffion may be empowered to or- dain a Prieft, and a Deacon to ordain a Deacon. Take away but the Popes Commiffion 5 and here is true Presby- terian Ordination left as a Relick of it. ic Dift.9$- c «3 It is alfo obfervable that Jeroms ,o Olim idem er at Presbyter qui e t Epifcopns ,which our Diffenters make fuch a Noife with, is made a part of the Popifh Canon-Law. * Hift. Concil. ; And it is certain, that in the Council Tiidtnr. Sefi. Q f Trent, the Court of Ro/ne laboured ' 7 ' hard to have it decreed that Bfjops as di~ Chap. V, Testimonies of the Church. 95 dijtintt from Presbyters, were not Jure divino. AndL^yfojtheJufuite, made a longHerangue of above two Hours to thatpurpofe. My Lord Bifhop of Sarttm (who tho' a Bifhop himfelf,yet cannot be thought Partial to the Fun&ion, by any one that reads his Expofition on the 23d Article of our Church, and may there- fore have his Teftimony ufed as an im- partial Evidence) tells us f " That in t Hift. Rcfor. "the ancient Church there were different Abrid f 6 L *' " Ordinations and different Funftions *' P ' . fpeaks of the Presbytery or G?%e ofPresby- 4<5, 6{5 - ftr/ in divers Places of his Epiftles. And J St. jfer** fays, that the Church has its Senate, f Cauf . I(J . 9 ew* Me Company of Presbyters. From all 1. c. y.'Ecdc- which we may be fatisfied that there was ih ' Originally a conftant ftanding Presbytery to affift the Bijljop and take care of the Flock together with him. At firft, in the Primitive Times, the Bi- fliop lived together with all his Clergy in common upon the voluntary Offerings and Oblations of the People : Andhefent abroad his Priefts and Deacons to officiate in feve- ral Parts of his Diocefe, as was judged ex- pedient by him. All Perfons at that time being looked upon to be.un.der the immedi- ate care of their Bifhop. Therefore 'tis or- dained by the thirty ninth Apoftolical Ca- non, Let the Priefts and Deacons not attempt any thing without the Bifiop, for to him is committed the care of the Lord's People, and he mutf give an Account of their Souls. And Ignatius in his Epiftle to the Church of Smyrna fays, Let no one do any thing belong- ing to the Church, without the Licenfe of the Bifiop. Such as to baptize, celebrate the Lord's Sapper, and the like Minifterial Offi- ces. 6 TertuUian alfo fpeaks to this pnrpofe: 6 D^prifmo. It remains for the Conclufion of this Mat- ^p^* H ter 9.8 Of the College of Presbyters, Uc. Chap. VI. ter to give a caution concerning giving and re- ceiving Baptifm. The chief Prieft, which is the Bifiop, has the Right of admin ijiring it : From hence the Presbyters and De aeons re- ceive a Right to adminifler it alfo,but not with- out the Biftofs Authority. And fo Hkewife ■ AH-erf T-u- i St. Jeront, Without the con/n/and of the Bi- f. lom. 2> JJjop, neither Prieji nor Deacon has a right to Baptize. And this is ftill the Pra&ice of the Church of England, where no Prieft or Deacon has a Right to adminifter either of the Sacraments, or perform any other Mi- ll ifterial Offices without a Licenfe from the Biftiop of his Diocefe, except in Donatives, which are true Remnants of Popery. And tho 5 a Prieft or Deacon has a general Licenfe to perform Minifterial Duties within a cer- tain Parifh or Precinft, yet ought he not to Ruhr in of- Baptize any Perfon of riper Years 8 without •;^ of ?^ r * a Special Licenfe or Order from the Bifhop. " '!? d riper The Offerings andOblations of the Peo- v -*«. pie were Collected for the ufe of the Church and all put into the Hands of the Biftiop, and by him were divided into four Parts, 9 Annotatl- C as 9 J* Gregory has obferved from the A- ^xsmRidty^tutbiek Paraphrjfe of the Canons of the Vi / w -£iifi J Church now in Manufcript in the Bodleian :■': '•',: l Iw", p. Library at Oxford ; And 6 Pan/clivs from St. ^ c 2 i«5i 4 . Cyprian, ) One pa vt to his Clergy, another / >^o?Nua!.' to r^P-iir the Churches, a third to thePoor, s and the fourth to hirafelf. The fourth, the thirty eighth, and the fortieth 4poftolical Canons lm. 5. Chap. VI. Of the College ofPresbyters, &c. 99 Canons plainly refer to this Cuftom, where the Bifliop is ordered to keep his own proper EJlate diftincl from that of the Church, that neither the Church may receive any Wrong, nor yet his own Relations, whether Wife, Children or other Kindred. That this was the Pra- ctice of the Church in the Apoftle's Days, probable from St. PauVs Precept to Timothy. 1 Let the Elders that rule Well be counted worthy of double Honour. In which Place (as raoft Interpreters expound it) Honour fig- nifies Maintainance, which was to be dif- pofed among the Clergy of Ephefvs as Timo- thy their Bifliop fawit convenient : That he might give to one more, to another lefs, according as they difcharged their Duties. And this Cuftom feems to have taken its Original from the Praftife of the firft Con- verts to Chriftianity, 2 Who being Pojfejfors , Aa 4 ^ of Lands or Houfesfold them, and brought the Prices of the Things that were fold and laid them down at the Apoftle's Feet : And Dijiri- bution was made unto every Man according as he had need. That this Practice was in Eng- land fetled upon the corning in of Auguftine the Monk appears from 3 Bedes Hiftory of 3 Lib. i.e. i\ that Million. Priefts and Deacons living thus in com- mon with their Bifliop were not denomina- ted from any proper Parifli or Precind of their own, but from the See of the Bifliop to whom they belonged : As aPresbvtefof H 2 Deacon ico Of the College of Presbyters, &c. Chap. VL Deacon of the Church 'of Alexandria, of Antioch, of Rome, of Carthage, of Ephefus or R 4 .^ s f a ^ ! the like. 4 And this Relation which aCler- rJc g b. rS clsrgy"gy ma P ftood in to the Bifliop of hisDiocefe p an- (as the late Bifliop ofWorcefier has obferv- ed ) was called zTitle : And fo fmeTitulo, fignifies without being owned by fbme Bi- (hop. And if any deferted their Bifliop they were liable to Deprivation. From the fti- pend which was given to every Presbyter and Deacon out of the Church Revenues, and from the particular Charge or Care af- figned to each of 'em by the Bijhop at his Pleafure with the Advice and Confent of hisCollegeJ amperfwaded that both Pref- byters and Deacons were called Canons, that is, the Presbyters Canonici Mdjores, and the Deacons Canonici Minores. For the Ci- »jCod.tib.i2.vil Law calls Stipends 5 Canonic£ Penfitati- tit- 6*, 1. 2. 0>ns : Anc J g t p aJil ca ]J s jj^j p art Q £ t J ie Church committed m:>re efpecially to his * 2 Cor. io Care, 5 the Canon winch God had diflribu- '3 ted to hi;;;. Afterwards when fome Presby- ters and Deacons were taken off from the Cathedral or Mother-church , and fet- led in remote parts of the Diocefe, then only thofe Presbyters and Deacons which conftantly refided with the Bifliop preferr- ed the Name of Canons 3 becaufe when fix- ed Parifli-priefts were fetled and maintain- ed by their own Parifh, then thefe only, who lived with the Bifhop received the Canonic as Chap. VI. Of the College of Presbyters, &c. Ida Canonical Penfitationes, and had the gene- ral care of the whole Church or Diocefe under the Biftiop. For when it was found neceffary to have Presbyters fixed in parti- cular Diftri&s or Parifhes, the Bifhop would not leave himfelf deftitute of a College or Society to advife and affift him in confer- ring Orders, -difpofing of the Church Re- venues, and putting the Canons in Execu- tion. Yet he made no new Decrees or Rules for the Government of his Diocefe with- out affembling his Clergv in a Diocefan Synod. Therefore »'St. Cyprian writing to his . 102 Of the College of Presbyters, &c. Chap. VI. conftituting Canons in this Kingdom is ma- *Tit de co n ^ e ft ^ rom divers Examples of that kind, fuer. c. Oaru- 9 Lindwood in his Provincial gives us fuch turn in Glofs. a Conftitution oi Simon Langham about the ^ Tom. 2 . P . Year 1366. And * Spelman'm his Councils 2 4 ° ;50I, fpeaks of the Conftitutions of Alexander Bifhop of Coventry, Anno 123 J. of WaltcrKi- fhop ofWorcejier, Anno 1240. of Walter Ki- fliop of Norwich, Anno 1 2 5 5. of Giles Bifhop of Salisbury ■, Anno 1256. all made in Epifco- * Con f'T rI "P aI S y nods - The Church of Rome ftill «ob- c^intc'et H g es her Bifhops to hold Epifcopal Synods Rtfbmac. yearly, but whether (he permits 'em to make Canons I know not. However, it is certain that fince 25 H. 8. c. 19. no Canons can be made in any fuch Affembly in England. Yet furely the Bifhops and Clergy "ever had a Right, before the paffing that Aft, to make Canons for the Government of their Flocks, which they received from the Apoftles : »Heb. 13. 17. Otherwife why does 2 the Author to the Hebrews charge that People to obey them that have the Ride over them, and watch for their Souls ? It is plain from that Place, that fuch as had the cure of Souls had Authority gi- ven them to Rule or Govern thofe commit- ted to their Charge in all Spiritual Concerns. Now there can be no Rule or Government without an Authority, not only to execute, but alfo to make Laws : The Bifhop and the Clergy having therefore the cure of all the Souls in the Dicc^fe rnuft necefiTarily have an Chap. VI. Of the College of Presbyters, &c XQ5 an Authority to make Spiritual Laws or Rules of better Government of the Flock. All Presbyters of the Diocefs ( and per- haps the Deacons too ) had a Vote in thefe Dioeefan Synods : But the Executive Pow- er was wholly in the Bifhop, for the Man- agement whereof he had his (landing Col- lege or Society of Presbyters refiding with him in the City. Upon this account the • 3 • on . ; ,.Co n - antient Canons make an apparent Diftinfti- c '. N«o-«"ir. on between the Presbyters of the City and cJ^f^' of the Country. This ftanding Council of the Bifhop are with us called the Dean and Chapter. And * our Law fays. That in Chri- 4 G^cJaJph A- jlian Policy it was thought neceffary (for that ^ u ***' 7 the Church could not be without SeUs and He- re (ies) that every Bijhop jhould be affiled with a Council, viz. a Dean and Chapter. ( l.) To confult with them in deciding difficult Con- trover fie 's of Religion. C'2.J To confent to eve- ry Grant that the Biflwp fe&U make to bind his Succeffours 5 for the Law did, not judge it rea*- fonable to r ep of e fitch a Confidence in him alone. Godolphin fays alfo that They have the Nan/e Prebends from affording help to the Bifop. But the 4 Canonifh fay that a Prebend is no- * Lancelot-. thing elfe but a Right to receive a Portion out .*.?**• '~ ( '" r ' of the Profits of the Church, as en% of the Col- .4#. 2. au«i lege of Canons. And therefore Alexander fcheUul*«nod Third in a Decretal Epiftle to the Archbi- p,'^^ s.k fhop of Canterbury commands him tq beftow F.fm^tf the firft Vacant Prebend upon a Perfon ^' * >:,! "' n H 4 whom 104 Of the College of Presbyters, Sec . Chap. VI, whom he had before admitted into the 5 Durer. Greg. Choir as a Canon. 5 For it is unfit, fays he, lib. 3. v. $. that hefjould vrant a Prebend, who is already received into the Society of Canons. Whereby it is apparent that the Name Prebend is de- signed to denote the Sub ft fence afforded to a Particular Canon out of the Church Revenues : For which Reafon the Perfon poffeffing it is called a Prebendary. The Head of this College or Society was originally called Ar~ chiprcsbytcr, who feems to have had a consi- derable Authority in the Church as appears • Vindciion f rom a ftory cited by 6 Dr. Maurice out of ?LiK s.'cfii. 7 Sozomen concerning Peter Archipresbyter to Theophilus oi Alexandria, about the Year 385. 8 Can. 16. And the 8 fourth Council of Carthage orders the Biftiop to devolve the Care cf Strangers, Widows and Orphans on his Archprief or Archdeacon. They were alfo called Deans, becaufe originally the Number of the Soci- 9 0e Moribus et y was ten ' befides the chief: 9 Decanos Ecdef.c. 31. vocant eo quod fint DenhPrapofiti, fays St. Augn fine. But the Name Dean is ftill conti- nued let the Number of Presbyters be more or lefs. Thofe Canons who together with the Dean manage the Revenues of the Church and govern the Choir are called the 'dofVcrb. Chapter: QiiiafuntCapitaCoUegii, fays l Spel- ^S'Tvfr; mm * % TheCanonifts feem to difpute whe- ^h n.^.der' ther the Dean or Archdeacon (hould have c l !: i r5ca ; J ' ^ ie P rcce dency, and generally give it to the Dean within the Prerinfts of the Cathe- dral Chap. VI. OftheCoUcge of Presbyters, Sec. 105 dral Church, and to the Archdeacon in all o- ther Places. Tis well St. Jerome was out of the way before this Pofition was ftarted, it would certainly have put him into as great a Paflion as fome of the Roman Deacons did when they fat down before the Presbyters. But this Decifion of the Canonifts in this Point certainly arifes from a Miftake that the Dean had no Authority in the Diocefs, but only in the Choir. Whereas the Dean being Head of the College of Presbyters without whofe Advice and Confent the Bifhop ori- ginally a&ed nothing of Moment, muft cer- tainly be the next Perfon to the Bifhop him- felf, as well in the Diocefs as the Choir. For 'tis a Miftake to think the College of Presbyters has no Authority out of theCa- thedral Church, for in Conjunction with the Bifhop their Jurifdi&ion extends as far as his. But tho' for many Ages the Bifhop has afted too much by himfelf without advifing with his College, vet from the beginning it was not fo : As 2 Pameliu* has learnedly proved. » A d. Epiftoi. And ftill of 3 common Right by the com- c y? ria n-4 6 *"- mon Law of this Land, the Dean and Chap- ;'G Joiph.Re- ter are Sede vacante Guardians of the Spi- p°n. Can. cap. ritualitics, and to them is committed the* Seft * 4 ' Spiritual Jurifdiftion of the Diocefs. Is it then reafonable that the Dean fliould give Place to the Archdeacon who afts only as his Officer during the vacancy ? And even when the See is full derive his Power from him 106 Of the College of Presbyters, &c. Chap. VI him conjundHvely with the Biftiop, howe- ver this Right has been ufurped upon. This Right of being Guardians of the Spirituali- ties during a Vacancy is probably as antient as the Apoftles Days : That it was fo in St. Cyprians time within a Hundred Years after is manifeft from the Epiftle of the Presby- ters of Rome to thofe of Carthage, written juft after the Martyrdom of Fabian their Bi- c E . ft fhop, before Cornelius was ele&ed. 4 It k incumbent on us, fay they, whofeem now to be Prelates and injlead ofthePajior, to keep the Flock. This is theOriginal of Deans and Chap- ters who were fo much exclaimed againft: in the late times. They are no Novel Infti- tution as was then pretended, but that Pres- bytery or College of Presbyters which the Apoftles, Ignatius and other ancient Fathers of the Church fo often fpeak off. I only Wifh with humble Submiffion that our Bi- fhops made more ufe of 'em: That they would advife with'em and be affifted by em in the Government of the Diocefs : That they would call in their Affiftance at Ordi- nations to examine fuch as are to be admit- ted into Holy Orders and to lay on Hands together with the Biftiop, as they always did in the Primitive times 5 for both which Offices they, being commonly Reverend Grave Divines, are certainly more fit than Youns raw Chaplains juft fetched from the Uni- Chap. VII. Of the Original of Purifies, &C. 107 Univerfity. Thefe and fuch like were the Offices of this venerable College originally, tho* now they are fo little ufed, as gives too many a juft Caufe to think 'em an ufelefs Burthen on the Church, and of no other ufe but to eat up the beft of its Re venues : It is therefore, as I think, great pity they are not reduced to their Primitive Ufefulnefs. CHAP. VII. Of the Original ofParifljes and ParifJjPrieJh. AS the number of the Faithful encreafed, it was found neceffary to fix a Presby- ter in fome certain Precind to attend upon the Service of God in that Place. Upon this the Council of Chaldecon decreed, 1 That r Can d no Perfon (l)ould be abfolutely ordained either Priejl or Deacon, unlefs he was particularly defigrid to fome Church, either in the City or the Country. Yet tho' a Prieft was by this Means obliged to be conftantly refident at fome particular Church, either Cathedral or Parochial, yet was he not properly incum- bent of that Church, in the Senfe we now underftand a Man to be an incumbent, that is to be maintained by the Church-dues ari- fing within that Precinft in his own Right. The Church-revenues throughoutthe whole* Diocefe were ftill collefted and paid to the- Bifhop, by whom .they wre divided into four ic8 Of the Original of Purifies Chap. VII. four Parts and distributed as has been alrea- dy obferved : Which Cuftom continued in fome places till the ninth Century or longer. For in the Council of Salisburg convened A. D. 807. it was decreed, That according to ancient Cuflom the Tythsjhould be divided in- to four Parts, viz. one to be allotted to the BiJJjopy another to the Clergy, a third to the Poor, and a fourth to the Buildings belonging to the Church. It was alfo declared in the Aufcenfian Synod A. D. 1068. That allChurch- es of Vafcony Jfjould pay a fourth Part of their Tythe to the Cathedral Church, Which fhews that tho' incumbents then received the Ty ths of their own Parifties, yet that the Cathe- drals in fome Places had their fhare. The Original of Parifhes and ParifnPriefts is generally attributed totheBilhops of Rome. Some will have this Divifion made by Fa- hianus about the middle of the third Cenr tury, who divided the feven Regions of the City between his feven Deacons. But this was no parochial Divifion. Deacons never had Cure of Souls : Neither were they employed by Fabianus to teach and inftruft the People, but only to colled and keep a Regifter of the Afts of Martyrs, as Platina informs us in the Life of that Pope. But * Speiman * Dionyfius who fucceeded in that See-about Giots. Verb, thirty Years after Fabianus, is faid to have PiaT Vk & Di- affigned to everv Presbyter his Pariftr Or Di- on! ft rift within the City , from whence.ikrdoubt, it Chap. VII. and Par ft Priefis. 109 it was foon derived to the fuburbicary Villa- ges which acknowledged Rome for their Me- tropolis, and from hence, by Degrees, ex- tended to other Provinces, who foon fol- lowed this Example, finding the ufefulnefs of it : So that by the time the Council of Chahedon met, it was general over the whole Empire. 3 Platina fays alfo, thatEvarijlu* 1 Vk. Evarift. who was Biftiop of Rome under the Empire of Trajan an hundred Years before Dionyfius divided the Titles (by which we generally underftandParifhes) amongft his Presbyters. Probably this Cuftom was intermitted by Reafonof the Perfections, and afterwards reftored by Dionyfius : Or perhaps he was the firft who called thefe Titles by the Name of Parilhes. It is certain that in the fifth Century, all the Presbyters of Rome had Titles, 4 Bahizuts gives us the Subfcriptions mo^Coiiea of 68. to a Council there A. D. 499. And Condi, v. this, I think, is the firft certain Catalogue 1 4 * a " we have of c em. Thefe Titles are now be- ftowed upon the Cardinals, who are proper- ly theParifh-prieftsofi? 9 ° Rationale of the Divine Offices , tells US, That the Office of the Deacoft is to ajfisl thePrUSls in Chap. VIII. Of Deacons. 1 1 - in the Miniftration of the Sacraments, to give the Bread and the Cup as the Prietf fiat/ ap- point, to gather the Alms andOblationsofthc People, to Baptize, to Preach, and to Read the Gofpels and Epifiles. And that the Of- fice of a Deacon was originally the fame, in the Church of England we may learn from 1 JElfricus, who was Archbifhop of Canter- | Lamb. Sax- bury, about the Year 980. He in an Epiftle bJm* Pag. to Wulfin, Bifhop of Schirebourn, tells him, l5 °' That 3 tk the Office of the Deacon to ajfilif the Prieff, to place the Oblations on the Altar, to Read the Go/pel in the time of Divine Ser- vice, to Baptize and to Adminifter the Lord's Supper unto the People. The Church of Eng- land therefore had great Reafon to continue this Order at the Reformation, finceitwas inftituted by the Apoftles, and continued in and from the pureft Ages of Christianity down to our own time, with an uninterrup- ted Succeffion 5 the Office and Order being the fame it was from the beginning, and a kind of Probationerfhip for the higher Or- ders of Priefts and Biftiops : 2 For they that I x xi m . 5.13. have ufed the Office of a Deacon well, pur chafe to themfclves a good Degree, as St. Paul ex- prefles it. And it is to me a moft convin- cing Argument that Deacons were appoint- ed by the Apoftles as an Order of the Cler- gy, becaufe St. Paul requires almoft the ve- ry fame Qualifications in a Deacon which he requires in a Priefi, called by him a Bijhop, I 3 and 1 1 8 Of Dt Aeons. Chap. VIII. 1 1 Tim. 3.1° and i appoints that thefe alfo be firSi proved, then, fays he, let them life the Office of d Dea- con, being found blame lefs. The Deacons were 1 properly the Bifhops Minifters or Servants to take Charge of the Church Revenues under him, and to diftri- bute them as he and his College fhould ap- point them to do. And the Fathers of the ? can. 1 8. 4 Council of Nice call them the Bifjops Mi- 5 Lib. 3 C i. vifiers* St. 5 Epiphanius fays, that without a Deacon it was impoffible for the Bifiop to be, and therefore the Apoftles took care that the BiJJoop Jlwuld have his Deacons to Mbiijier un- *. Du. pin to him. 6 St. Ambrofe tells us, that the Ho- Vo] i.p.2o Whither run you, O " Holy Bifhop, without being accompanied " by your Deacon ? You never ufed to of- " fer Sacrifice without a Minifter ; what is " it then that has difpleafed yoti in me ? Is " it becaufe ypu have found that I have not " well cjifchatged my Office > Try now whe- " ther you have chofen a good Minifter : " Why do you refufe him whom you have " Confecrated, And who has Confecrated " the Holy Sacraments with you ? This Pa- thefieal Speech of this pious Martyr (who fufFered about three Days after his Bifhop an & Chap. VIII. Of Deacons. 1 1 9 and Mafter being broil'd to Death on a'Grid- iron) plainly (hews us what was the Dea- cons Office, viz. conftantly to attend* and wait upon the Bifhop, and to nfiift in all. holy Offices, particularly the Adminiftrati- on of the Sacraments. This was about the middle of the third Century. D:aco>/s were indeed the BifhopsDomefticks, by them he difpatched hisOrders to all Parts of hisDi- ocefe, by them he fent Stipends to the Pres- byters in the Country, and Letters of Com- munion to other Biihops : 7 And to them al- 7Cm Con , fohe delegated his Place in Councils, where cii. Se*r in he hiffifelf could' not be prefent. 8 Gratian J™£°- out of the Epiftle of Clemens Romanes to James the Brother of the Lord (which tho* a Spurious Piece, yet is of great Antiquity, and may be urged as a Teftintony for the Cuftoms of the Church) tells us, that " the " Deacons of the Church are as it were the " Eyes of the Bifiop, running to and fro, and " modeftly looking into the Ads of the " whole Church, and fearching diligently ff " they fee any one on the Borders of De- "ftruftion, and the Brink of Sin, that they " may acquaint the Bi(hop with it. Alfo " that it is their Part to Suggeft to the Bi- " (hop what Strangers need Relief, and " things of the like Nature which belong " to the Worfhip and Difciplrne of the " Chtirch. * St. Ifidore of Damiala tells the * Lib, 1. Ep. 2* Deacons that they are the Bijhops Eye. »9- I 4 Since 1 2 a Of Deacons. Chap. VIIL Since the dividing Diocefes into Parifhes, and the fixing fettled Permanent Incumbents in them, who receive the Church-Dues thereof in their own Right, whereby the Church-Revenues have been fo appropria- ted, that they could no longer be divided, as anciently, into four Parts, and the Bifhops alfo have had their own peculiar Rents appropriated wholly to themfelves, one part of the Deacons Office has been dropped as needlefs : They are no longer concerned in theDifpenfation of the Church-Revenues, which are not now any more colle&ed into dne Bank as formerly. The Poor are alfo otherwife provided for : whilft Religious Houfes were in Being, the Poor were main- tain^ by their Alms, and fince their Sup- preffion, the Civil Government has made other Provifion for them. Indeed where there is a Deacon appointed to affift aPrieft in any Cure, our Church fays, that it ap- pertains to his Office, tofearch for the Sick, Poor and impotent People of the Pari fti, to in- timate their EJiates, Names and Places where they dwell unto the Curate, that by his Exhor- tation they may be relieved by the Parijh, or &t her convenient Alms, but there are few Pla- ces where fuch Provifion is made or needful to be made as Matters now ftand. So that we may fay, that the Office of a Deacon in Our Church is at prefent no more than a Probationerthip for a higher Order. I hear- 1 ■>.••.■•.. x v : ., ; tily Chap. IX. Of Archdeacons. 1 2 1 tily wifh '° our Canon in this particular was T l °^ an - 3lAn ' more ftri&ly obferved, and that fome Pro- x ° 5 ' vifion was made that Bifhops might not take upon 'em to difpenfe with what Canons they pleafed, how and when they pleafed : For want of this our Canons are of very little Ufe. CHAP. IX. Of Archdeacons. TH E Deacons, as has been obferved, were the Bifhops Eyes, who by his Order palled thro' the Diocefe to vifit and infpedt the Lives and Behaviour of the Ru- ral Clergy, and acquaint the Diocefan how all Duties were performed. And in Procefs of time, the Bifhop found it neceffary to communicate fome Authority to his Dea- cons, that they might not be bare Infor- mers, but have a Power alfo to admonflh and cenfure as it (hould be found expedient, ftill referving an Appeal to himfelf. But it not being thought convenient to commit fuch a Power to all the Deacons, one was es- pecially appointed for this Purpofe, and called the Arch-Deacon. If the Diocefe was large, it was commonly divided into feve- ral Parts, and an Arch-Deacon fet over each of them, which rvvere from thence, called Archdeaconries. It is probable that Arch- Deacons (together with Arch-Priefts or Dean 122 Of Archdeacons. Chap. IX. Deans of the College of Presbyters, which I have already treated of) were firft inftitu- r Plat. vit. ted by * Highius, Bifhop of Rorne^ about Hi s in - the middle of the fecond Century, for PI a- tina lays of him, that he prudently reduced his Clergy into Order , and dijlributed De- l Ep. 85. greet. It appears from 2 St Jerom, as if the Bifhop did not originally conftitute the Arch-Deacon himfelf, but that he was cho- fen by the other Deacons. However this was, it is certain his Authority in the Church ■ vindication was confiderable very early : For ? Dr. Mau- p • $??• r j ce bferves, that at the time of the Coun- cil of Chalcedon when Ibas, Bifhop of Edef- fa would have made one John Bifhop of 'Bat- tin a. in his Diocefe, he was therein oppofed and hindred by Ibas his Arch-Deacon of that Place. And another ArclrDeacon of his Excommunicated Maras, who was one of Ibas hisAccufers. Whenfoever this Office was brought into the Church, after it was once fetled we do not find that any other Deacons were fent to vifit the Churches and inform the Bifhop : This Care was wholly appropriated to the 4 Can 26 Archdeacons, who are enjoyned by the ♦ j Conai.Bour. fourth Council of Orleans, A. D. 541. to take AD * &c' ^ are *^ a * theChfgy ofParijhes in the Lands of ciT Ut. A.°D. great Lords do their Duty. After this he 6n- 1^5:. c. 2.& ly was called the Eye of the Bijlwp y this Ap- M3 9 L c. r, i^5c pellation being no more applied to any o- con. Thoios. ther Deacons. He is by s di verfe Canons ob- A.inp.Can.a, lio-ed Ctftfpu VI. Of Archdeacons. Iia liged to be a Deacon at leaft, and maybe «a Prieft. 7 Tho* antiently it feems to have 6 Con.Lat. A. beenotherwife, and aPrieft was judged un- f^ ir * 9 ' Cm - capable of an Archdeaconry. 8 Mr. Atterbuty * Du frn. Vol. in his Book of the Rights and Powers ofari? ,pag -s>7* Englifh Convocation" proves that Archdea- p ' 3ai,3ia - cons with Jurifdiftion are much ancienterin England than the time of the Conqueft however fome have afferted the contrary 5 and this he does from the very Words of the Conquerours Writ whereby he feparates the Spiritual and Temporal Jurifdiftions, for they run thus, * Let no Bifiop or Arch- 'SeMen. Nor deacon any more hold Pleas of the Epifcopal ad E ^ meT * Laws in the Hundred Courts : And the pre- fatory Words of the Writftile thefeUfages fuch as had obtained in this Kingdom #/ En- gland even to my times. And the Northum- brian Canons framed about the tenth or ele- venth Century fet this Point beyond Dis- pute, for the fixth Canon etia&s That if a Presbyter obey not the Ediff ofhfc Archdeacon he fid all 1 be fined 12 f Ores. And indeed it i$ f ora w &$ a highly improbable that our Church fliould ? ie " of M ° n v differ in this particular from all the Church- tiwtcmh Part es of the Weft wherein it appears from the of a M * r K Canons I have cited there were Archdea-^^^ cons with Jurifdiftion before Chfiftianity r*. was planted amongft our Saxon An ceftors: Yet I deny not but that in fome Diocefes their Authority has been enlarged fince the Conqueft, particularly in Canterbury, as ap- pears 1^4 Of Archdeacon /. Chap. VL •Ang. Sacr. pears from the * Fragment publifhed by P »De P officiis Mr - Wharton. * Codinus alfo fays that in the Conftamino- Greek Church the Archdeacon hadnoPow- poiitan.cap.9, er or Jurifdi&ion, but was only one of the **> *4- Principal Affiftants in fome of the chief So- ! Cap. iy. lemnities : And ■ Gretfer in his Commenta- ries upon him fays that this Office was not one of the Archonticia, but as he reports it from Citrus, F The Archdeacon had a Pre- 4 cedency given him before all Deacons, ' whether they were honoured with Arch- c onticious Offices or not, ( that is fuch as ' were conferred only by the Emperour or c Patriarch ) both in theTemple and at the 6 Altar, and Perception of the Divine Myfte- ' ries, as a Reward for his long Services. If fo then their Power was taken away in that Church after the Council of Chalcedon, when as has been proved they had a great Autho- rity. The Office of an Archdeacon in the La- Ub""tifl**' n Church is fet forth by* Innocent the III. ^'to be this. c The Care and Ordination of c Parifhes belongs to him. And let the Arch- ' Presbyters, who by many are called Deans f That is Rural Deans, for Deans of Cathe- dral Churches were never fubjeft to Arch- deacons 3 ' know that they are fubjeft to * him. For according to the Roman Confti- * tution he is the greateft next the Bifhop, ' and the very BHhops Vicar : employing all ' his Care and Solicitude ( the beft he can ' thro* Lib, i. tit. 23 c. 7 Chap. IX. Archdeacons. 125 thro' God's Afliftance) as well over the Clergy themfelves as their Churches, for as much as he is to give an Account of thefe Things at the Day of Judgment. Al- fo in the Epiftle of Holy Pope Clement our Predeceffour, the Archdeacon is call- ed the Bilhops Eye, as one that in theBi- fhop s ftead looks through the Diocefs to correft and amend what he fees to need Amendment 5 unlefs they were of that high Nature that they cannot be terminated without the Prefence of his Superiour. And corporal Inftitution [ I fuppofe he means that which now we commonly call Indu&ion] ' alfo belongs to him both into ' Benefices and Dignities, as likewifetheEx- c amination of Clerks to be ordained. Alfo * we decree that the fame be obferved in c Collations to Benefices, that before any V Per fon be admitted to an Ecclefiaftical Be- 4 nefice, he be examined by the Archdeacon 1 and by him afterward prefented totheBi- 4 (hop. 3 It appertains to the Archdeacons Office x Provincial, according to Undwood, < to fee that the Sa- £ , McioAr 4 craments be rightly conlecrated and ad- * miniftred, to keep an Inventory of all 4 the Utenfils , Ornaments , Veftments , 4 and Books belonging to the Churches, 4 which they fhall every Year infpeft, and 4 obferve what Damage they have received : * And likewife enquire every Year into the 'Pot acorn. £ 26 Of Aechpriefts or Rural Deans. Chap. X. c Polfeffions of the Church that they be not c damnified. It belongs to him alfo to fee ' that Sentence of Excommunication be pro- * nounced, and the Word of God Preached * by thofe whofe Duty it is to do thefe * things : Alfo to fee that the Churches and 4 Chancels be kept in good Repair. From thefe two Conftitutions of the De- cretal and Lindwood we have the whole of the Archdeacons Office as it is now exerci- fed in the Church of England. Which be- ing an Office of fo great Antiquity and fo very ufeful and Expedient in all tlie Parts of it,ought ftill to be preferved afliongft us. Diocefes are generally fo large thatBiftiops cannot look after 'em without Affiftants. And fince Affiftants are neceflary none can be more proper and fit than fuch as long Cuftom and Prefcription for many Ages have approved. CHAP. X. Of Archpr lefts or Rural Deans. WHilft the Revenues of the Church were all collected into one Bank and the Bifhop fent out Presbyters into the Country to Officiate in the feveral Cures e- rected and maintained by himfelf, fewer Officers were able to infpeft their Lives and Con- Chap. X. Of 4r*tyriefts or Rural Deans. 127 Conversions, and he could eafily with the affiftance of two or three Archdeacons vifit every particular Church of his Dio- cefs, and obferve how they}were repaired and preferved. But when the Piety of well difpofed Chriftians had encreafed the Number of Parifh Churches to be abun- dantly greater than was before, theBifhops then faw it neceffary to have more Officers under 'em for Vifitation and Infpedion : . Hereupon they appointed one of the fix- \^StS!Sm ed Parifh Priefts in the Country to vifit and ft«.c 1. verb, infped a certain Number of Parifhes, which DeCan - Rural originally was limited to ten ( I fuppofe in Imitation of Mofes, l who appointed Rulers * Ex d. i3.h» of Tens as well as of greater Numbers) 2 5- and thefe were called Deanries and the Perfons prefiding over them were called Archpriefts or Rural Deans. The Au- thority given to thefe was not great, however fome Authority they had, and were fubjeft not only to the Bifhop but to the Archdeacon too : And when the Bifhop fent any Orders to his Archdea- con relating to his Clergy, the Arch- deacon fent them to the feveral Rural Deans to be by them communicated to the other Parifh Priefts. If a Clergy- man was accufed , it belonged to the Rural Dean to cite him into the Court : Or any other Perfpn who became Ob- noxious 1 28 Of Archpriefls or Rural Deans. Chap.X. noxious to the Spiritual Jurifdi&ion. For only Clergy-Men were originally em- ployed in the Spiritual Courts. I believe they had alfo Authority to admonifti though not to cenfure any of their Bre- thren. The firft Mention that I find made of thefe Rural Deans is in the Year ^Du Pin. Vol. 877, when 2 Hincmarw Archbilhop of *• P 4*» Rheims fpeaks of 'em in an Order to his Archdeacons. And about the fame time J Ibid. p. 1 52. 3 Riculphus Bifhop of Soiffbns in a Paftoral Letter orders thefe Deans to call Affem- blies of their Clergy on the firft Day of every Month, but forbids feafting at them ^ and enjoyns them to have Con- ferences about what concerns their Mini- ftry, and the occafions of their Parifhes, The firft Council where I find them fpo- ♦Can. 3. ken of, is that of Clermont A. D. 1095. 4 where it is Decreed, that the Deanries of Churches JhaU be beflowed only on Priejis, JGioffadVerb. Sir 5 Henry Spebnan is of Opinion , that Decan. Rural, the Rural Dean is the Perfon meant in 5 cap! 31. f he 6 Laws of Edward the ConfefTour un- *Provinc. i.i. der the Name of the Bifhops Dean. c!' d r e .v°e?b! m * His ° ffice as 7 Lindrvood tells us , was Decan Ru'rai. but temporary , he having no Canoni- •Dscret.Greg ca i inftitution. But by a 8 Decree of /«- SuLf^ucmer." nocmt the third he cannot be appointed or re- Chap. X. Of Jrcbprhfts, or Rural Deans. i %9 remov'd by the Bifhop alone, without ^ the confent of the Archdeacon. 8 1 know G ?™fl]\ % not whether this conftitution be receiv'd m.23. 9: in this Kingdom or not ; yet I have been subfe^untm told , that when Archbifhop Sancroft would have Nominated Rural Deans, he was oppofed by his Archdeacon Parker. Spelrnan in his Pofthumous Work of the ancient Government of England > tells us, that the Rural Dean, had a Pow- er within his Deanery to cenfure the Breach of Church Peace , and to punifjj Incontinent and Infamous Liver /, by Excommunication, Penance, &c. But if they had any fuch Power, I believe it muft be by particu- lar Cornmiffion from the Bifhop: For^ the 9 Decretal Ordains, That the ^^-^CrN^ presbyters , jjjould refer all things to the Bi- c. 4* ffjop, and not pre fume to Aft without his Or- der. Whereby it appears, that their Power is not determinM by the Can- nons, but is only fuch as it pleafes the Bifhop to confer upon them : l0 Yetby ,* ccvflh. the Conftitution ofQtho the Legate, thev cumnonfoiunti feem to have had fome JuriUlidion, and g^JSh a Power to Judge and Enquire into" ' fome Caufes, by Priviledge and Cuftom in this Realm. ' For which reafon they are reqiiirM to have an Autheiliical Seal. They alio t&M to Collet the 1 1 o Of Arcbfriefis or P.ural Deans. Chap. 2C Taxes imposM on the Clergy in Convo- cation, and to certifie the Collection ^ ^ thereof, under the Seal of their Office, L^!p W 2ido. as ' Thornmfams us. But now their Authority and Ufe is alrrioft wholly loft. There are but few Dioceffes in England, which have any, and in thofe they are but Annual , and Chofen by the Clergy at their Vifitations ; and their Bufinefs is nothing elfe but to make an Entertainment for their Bre- thren. In'fome Places the Bifhop gives them an Oath, and a Licence or Com - miffion, to be Informers, and nothing more, which renders the Office odious and contemptible , I think to the great prejudice of the Church, which by this means lofes a very ufeful, not to fay neceffary Officer, to preferve and main- tain its Difcipline. Indeed I cannot but think it would do well , if my Lords the Bifhops thought fit to divide their Burthens : If they would but appoint any Archpresbyter in every Deanry ( for all our Dioceffes are divi- ded into fuch) they might leffen their Care by it, and the whole Church of England might be the better for it. Would they Conftitute fome Grave Di- vine in every Divifion, to be a Rural Dean, not for a Year , but qu&mdiu fe ben? Cliap. X. Of Jrchfr iefts y or Rural Deans. tji henegejjerit, he might vifit all the Church- es, and Parfonage, and Vicarage-Hou- fes in his Deanry once a Year, (which a Bifliop and Archdeacon cannot do in ma - ny) and obferve in what Repair they are kept, and where he finds any thing amifs, give Orders to have it Rcftified ; and if it be not done in fome reafona- ble time, then have Power to impoie fome light Cenilire on the Offenders ; and if that prove infufficient, then ac- quaint the Superior Ordinary with it, that further Care may be taken : W here- as this Matter being left now altogether to the Minifter and Churchwardens, they favour one another, and by this means many Churches are ready to fall down, and the Parfonage, and Vicarage- Houfes become exceedingly Dilapidated, and the Parfon and Yicar Dying Inibl- vent, the next Incumbent gets a View of the Houfe, proves himielf not to fx the Dilapidatour ; this is Eriter'd upon Record in the Spiritual Court, and then the Houfe drops down, and no body is oblig'd to Build it again. This Dean might be ImpowerM to admonifli anv of his Clergy which live Diforderly, firft byhimfelf aloue. and then in the prefence of Two or Three of his Bre- thren, and then if there be no amend- K 2 rnent i J 2 Of Archpriefis, or Rural Deans. Chap. X. ment after the third Admonition, to fui- pend him ab Officio, for a Month , and if that prove ineffectual, then to acquaint the Bifhop or Archdeacon with the Mat- ter, that fome further Courfe may be taken. He might alfo have Power to call the Clergy of his Deanry , once a Quarter to a Vifitation, where after a Sermon Preach'd, they fhould confer of what concerns their Miniflry, and the Occafions of their Parifhes. And he might likewife be the Perfon to be Confulted with, when any one of Ri- per Years is to be Baptized. Thus would the Offices both of Bifhop and Archdeacon, be very much eas'd, if thefe Rural Deans might divide the Burthen with them: lam fure for want of thefe, many things are left undone, which "Decm.Greg. ought to be done. 2 The Decretal there- l c \ *j u uu 24 *fore ftriftly enjoyns every Bifhop to have his-Archpresbyters, and fays, Alike? the Bijhop be never fo well qualified for his Of- fice, yet he ought to divide his Burthens. And that as he pre fides in the Mother Church, foffjouldthe Archpresbyters in their fever at Precincts , that the Ecclefiaflical Care may be faulty in nothing, CHAP. CHAP. XL Of Bifiops Chancellors. GO DO LP HI N tells us, that it " Abrtdg.cap. is moft probable, that the mul- ,0, § ' 2 ' m f. tiplicity and variety of Ecclefiaftical Ca- u fes, produced the Office of Chancel- H lors originally ; for after that Princes ' c had granted to Ecclefiaftical Perfons, 1 their Caufes and their Confiftories, and ic Circumftances varying thefe Caufes ? into a more numerous Multiplicity " than were capable of being de- " fined by like former Prefidents ; Ne- " ceflitY calPd for new Decifions, and " they for fuch Judges as were experien- " ced in fuch Laws as were adapted to " Matters of an Ecclefiaftical Cogni- " zance; which would have been too " prejudicial an Avocation of Bifhops " from the Exercife of their more Di- ll vine Fun&ion, had not the Office of " Chancellor in determining fuch Mat- " ters been an expedient to prevent the iC faid prejudice and inconvenience. 2 Sir Thomas Ridley, in his View of the **"•£ C *P- Civil and Ecclefiaftical Law fays that Chan- ce/lors, are near of as great Antiquity as the Bijhops themfelves : And that they *-c.&etyifc& are the fame which the 3 Civil Law ciar. c mnem calls , Ecclefiecdici , or Ecclefiarum Ec- $' ?'* , Kj " dici: . * Csn. ?3. 134 Of Bifeofs Chancellors. Chap. XI. diet : But with all due fubmiflion tQ that Learned Doftor - tho' it be al- lowed that thefe Ecdki were the farfie we now call Chancellors, yetare they near Four hundred Years later than the firft inftitution of Bifhops. For the firft mention we find made of thefe Edict, is at the 4 Council of Carthage, A. D. 598. when Hmorius was Empe- ror of the Weft, and Theodofms Jant&r of the Eaft : where it is Decreed , That, becaufe of the frequent Vexations of the Poor, with rvhofe 'troubles the Church was continually wearied, it feewed good to aU to entreat the Emperor sf hat Defender s\Jfc$K\] might be ch of en againft the Tyranny of the Rich. And that thefe are the fame which Juflinian and Doctor Ridley call Ecclif 'ecdki, is plain from the Title of this Canon, where they are calFd Ecctefia- rum Ecdki. And that they were not cori- ilituted as Officers in Church Affairs be- fore this time, is plain, front the very Words of the Canon. For had it been an Office iii the Church before, the Council needed not to have Petitioned the Emperors for leave to Conftitute fuch an Officer, but would have Order- ed the Bifhops to have done it accord- ing to ancient Cuftom : As 5 Dodo* Be- iiLcbahed. " ^eridge has well pbfcrv'd, who in his Anne- Chap. XL Of the Eijbops Chancellors. i J 5 Annotations on tlie Council of Cbalcedm, has largely Treated on tlie Power of this Officer, and (hewn from fever al Citati- ons out of Balfamon 7 Johannes Citrienfisj and other Greek Canonifts, that this Of- fice is much tjie fame with that of Bi- fhbps Chancellors, and that th'sy were frequently Laymen at firft, and therefore are number'd by Juftinian among the Xenodochi,. Nojocomi^ and other Lay-of- g ficers. - ^ Gothofred in his Annotations af- $ cier.Coni firrns ; tMt thefe ficdici or Eccleficedici who nem %prmer- were al'fo call'd Pericdeutce, or Vifnors^*' were Aiders and Affifters to the.Bifhop in his Jurisdiction thro' the whole Dioe- cefs , Supplying the abfence of the Bi- fhop j Which (as Dr. Ridley a,dds) is the very right Defcription of Bifhops Chan- cellors that now are, and alfo diftingui- fh'es them from Commiffaries , whofe Authority is only in Tome' certain Place of the Diocefs, and fome certain Cau- fes of Jurifdi&ion, limited to them by the Bifhop. But ..Dr. Beveridge}ws fhew- edfroma NoyelConftitution tflJeraclius, and the Anfwers 01 Johannes Citrien- fis j and from James Goars Catalogues of the Officers in the Church otConJlan- tinofle^ that there were fometirnes Ten or Twelve, at other times but Four or TwoEcdici in that "Church ; and among K 4 thefe, 11$ OfBifbops Chancellors. Chap. XL thefeone who was calfd Protections , who had an Authority over the whole Dio- cefs, and to whom the other Ecdici were lZ e0j cf7. Am * nts or A ff e ff° rs - And 7 Codinus 'Num. 7?' I# fays, that this Protections was jfWg. 4. *«j. 5?pj ace j n t ] ie Church of Constantinople, which the Cardinals have in the Church of Rome) thefe were Principal Officers who fat in Synod with the Patriarch. There was alfo another Ecdicus in the Church of 'Constantinople, (for fo is he ex- * cap. t. prefly filled by 9 Codinus)ca\Vd Cbartophy- mriu *■ Ux, becaufe he had the Cuftody of all Writings and Records belonging to the Church. He had JurifditHon and Autho- rity to Judge in all Ecclefiaftical Caufes, as the Patriarchs Right Hand : And therefore preceded the Protecdicus. That thefe Ecdici \yeve alio early in the Latin Church, is Prov'd by Gretfer, from a Refcriptof Pelagius in the Sixth Cen- VoIm&% tm Y-> ( w h*$* he cites out of 10 Qnuphrius) ' to Antonina, a Patrician Lady^ who' had defir'd him to make a Monk whom fhe recommended to hirfi, fuch an Officer in Iris Church. " The Duty of Monks fays, li he, is to be Retired , quiet, given to "• Prayer, and to Labour with their ".Hands. Chap. XI. Of Bifoops Chancellors. %U " Hands : But to the Defenfores belongs " the Knowledge of Caufes, Conventi- " ons. Acts, publick Controvcrfics, and " whatfoever either the EccleGaftical " Contentions, or the neceflity of Sup- " plicants require. This Refer ipt of Pelagius isPublifhM at large by *Gratian, *i6. $.i.*2o, and it is SuperfcribM to Antonina a Patri- cian, and to Dccia. The late Bifhop of Worcefier fays, that a thefe Officers were " not in England in the Saxon Tmes:^J^ pjh u But about the time of Henry II. the rock clergy. " Bifhops took them for their Aflift-P- »47- " ance in difpatch of Caufes, when the " King required their ftrift Attendance " on the Publick Affairs, in the Supreme " Court of Parliament. I cannot com- ply with this Great Man in his Opinion, tho' I have no poficive Proof wherewith to overthrow this Affertion. But it feems highly improbable to me, that the Church of England fhould in this parti- cular differ for fo many Years, from all the Churches in the World befides ; efpe- cially fince our Bifhops, as well then as now, were conftantly called to the Great Councils of the Realm, and therefore needed fuch Officers to fupply their ab- fence in their feveral Dioceffes. Befides, in Henry the lid's. Reign, when his Lord- fhip fays, the Bifhops firft took 'em for die i}S Of Bijhops Chancellors. Chap. XL lib. 4, c 9. t { ie difpatch of Caufes, Glanvill fpeaks of the Official (which was but another Name for the Chancellor) as one that had ordinary Jurifdiftion in the Court ChrifKan, which is at leaft a probable Evidence that he was not an extraordi- nary Officer then newly Confirmed for the Affiftance of the Bifhop. When they firft began to be calPd Chancellors, I cannot find, but it feems not to be a very ancient Name, becaufe I do not meet pith it either in Gmwi % the De- cretal, or our Lindwood: But in thefe * v lie con- ^ 00 ^ s they are generally Stiled, the Bi- fth^.'qutiti-fivps fyjjjPH or 3 Officials : Tlio* perhaps continent!*, the Official is the fame we now com- M- officios. mmly cal j t he Commiffary, who is (a Sj t take it) the proper fimple Ecdicus, arid the Chancellor , or Vicar general the Proiecdicus • ; tjio' there lies no Appeal from the Official to the Bifhop, but to the Archbifhop only. I fuppofe the Vi- car general was in procefs of time com- monly call'd Chancellor, for the lame reafbn that the .Chief Judge in Civil Affairs, is calPd by, that Name.: be- caufe they fat in Chancels or places feparated by Bars, that they might riot be oppreft with Crowds, whilflf they MinifterM Juftice to the PeopTel But Chap, XL Of Bifiops Chancellors, 1J9 But altho' thefc Ecdici were at firft Lay-men ; yet as both Dr. Beveridge and Grerfer obferve , they were afterwards conftantly Clergymen. Our Church at prefent allows them to be indifferently either. However, I am perfwaded, be- fore the puffing the 4 Act of Parliament 4 llm #.g. under King Henry VIII. ( when there '-i 7- was an apparent Defign to thruft Church- men out of all Bufinefs, 'twas poffible to thruft 'em out of, and to make 'em fubject to 1 Lay-judges in every thing) that never any Lay- man exercifed that Authority over the Ckrgy our Char> cellors 60 at this time. For 'tis plain thefe Ecdici, whilft they were but Lay- men, only heard thofe Caufes of the Poor wherewith the Church was wont to be troubled : And afterwards when 'twas thought convenient to let 'em judge in Ecelefiatftfcal Caufes, they were i al- * infljujur. ways Clergymen. riis f . kbeu CHAF, Mo CHAP. XII. Of Chorepifcopi, or Bijhops Suffragan. rjr. to. i3?jN the Primitive Church there tf Neocxf. J^ Y^ere Bifhops frequently placed in Mock® Villages of the larger Dioceffes , can. 10. who were from thence called, Chorepif- copi : But they were fubjeft to the Bi- fhop of the City, under whofe Jurifdi- ftioq the Village was, and therefore could a<3: nothing but by his Licence and Commiffion. Opinions have been divided concerning thefe Chorepifcopi , whether they were real Bifhops, or fim- ple Presbyters, with fomething more of *oih°con- Authority t ^ an ot ' lcr Presbyters com- a/J/hfiys, monly had. 2 Mr. Mafon fays, " there rriifls, and u were two forts of Chorepifcopi , the ;^:f : ' a the tirft had no Epifcopal Confecration, " which are reprov'd, and that Juftly ; " for they were only Priefts, and not Bifhops, (and therefore could not Con- fecrate a Bifhop, which is the Subjeft lie is there treating upon, but were Condem- ned by the Bifhop of Rome for fo do- ing ) " and of thefe Damafus fpeaks in " the Judgment of Bellarrnwe, The fe- " cond had Epifcopal Confecration , " and thefe tho' they had no City, nor " Diocefs of their own, but only fome " Country Town for their See, yet in regard Chap. XI I . Of Bi flops Suffragan. 141 " regard of their Confecration , were " true Bifliops. But this very Learned Man gives us no Proofs from Antiqui- ty for this Opinion, and therefore the Truth of it may be juftly fufpefted. This Controverfie feems to me to have been firfl fet on foot in the Ninth Cen- } Du?jn.Vok tury, not long after the year Eight huri- 7 *^ i6 4,^5* dred. Then we find that " 3 fome af- firmed the " Chorepifcopi to be real Bi- fliops by their Ordination, and that they might Ordain Priefts and Dea- cons, Confirm, Confecrate Altars , and do all the Offices of a Bifhop: But others denied this, and affirm'd, a that their Confirmations were Null ' and Void. Charles the great con lit ked Pope Leo III. upon this Question, whoanfwer'd, that he was certain the Chorepifcopi had not this Power, cUid that all they had done belonging to Bifliops, was ipfo fal'io void , andthac they ought to be deprived of this Pow- er. The Council of Ratisbon confirmed the Pope's Decree, and Order'd them " to continue in the Rank of Priefts. " This Decifion did not hinder, but " that the Chorepifcopi continu'd yet in a many Dioceffes, and the Bifliops did " ftill allow them Priviledges belonging " only to their own Order. There has " been f 42 Of Bijhops Suffragan. Chap. XlL " been always many Churches , and " chiefly in Italy and Spain, where the " Chorepifcopi have been efteemM no " more than ordinary Priefts, where " they Re-ordain 7 d fuch as were made " Prielis or Deacons by them, confirm- " ed anew fuch as they had confirm- " ed, and Confecrated again fuch " Churches as had been Confecrated by " them. Rabanus, Archbilhop oi Menti, H and one of the moft Learned Wri- " ters of that Age, having underftood u this, undertook to defend the Chorepi- " fiopi. He fays that their Order had " its Original from the A potties ; and " that they had fuch Afliftaiits as could " Ordain , and do the fame Offices " with them. He believes that St. Li- " nus, and St. Clemens, were Chorepifco- " pi to St. Peter and St. Paul, in the " Church of Rome. He accufes thofe u Bifhops that undervalue the Chorepif " copiy and who look upon them as no *f more than ordinary Priefts, of over- a throwing the Order by their Ambition. ? He afferts, that the Chorepifcopi were a eftablifh'd for the fake of the Poor in " the Country, that they might not be " deprived of Confirmation, which they " had Power to confer upon them ; " And that if they had cot this Right, " they Chap. XII. " Of Bijfyops Suffragan. 1 4 j " they would be of no ufe to the Bi- " fhops as they now are. And upon " wtyat it \yas Obje&ed againft him, " that it is faid in the Scripture . that the Aas 8- x<< " Apoftles themfelves had been fent in- " to" Samaria , to beftow the Cfift of " the Holy Ghoft, on thofe that were " newly Baptized; He anfwer'd, that " the Apoftles were fent to Samaria, " becaufe there was no Chorepifcopus in " that Place, but only the Deacon Phiiig " who had Baptiz'd them. Certainly, If the Pope had no better Argument a- fiinft the Chorepifcopi , ( and I fuppofe he had, it would have been menti- oned ) he and his Council too had the leaft reafon imaginable to Condemn them, and the Reply of Kabanus was unanfwerable. But we know that the Bi- fhops of Rome and their Councils have often decreed diverfe Matters, upon as weak Authorities as this. Neveithelefs, it is apparent, there was another Reafoq, but not proper to be urg'd, whfch made the Pope condemn the Chorepifcopi, which I fhall take notice of hereafter. This difference which happened in this Ninth Age, has I fuppofe caufd ihe various opi- nions at prefent concerning them ; hup for full, lapisfa&iqn we mi* ft look into ^rlier times, For 144 Of Bifljops Suffragan. Chap. XII. For determining this Controverfie'con- cerning the Chorepifcopi y I muft acknow- ledge my felf altogether beholden to Dr, Beveridge y who in liis Learned Annotati- ons on the Pandeffa Canonum y which he Publifh'd, has fet this Matter in the cleareft Light. And I know not of any other thdt has fo far fearched into it, but they have generally given their Opinion on one fide or other, without any Proofs at all; So that for the fetling of this point, I (hall only Tranflate the Sum of his Ar- guments. 'Annotated " pj r fl- ? &y s he, it is certain they had CencriJncjr. " Epifcopal Orders. This we learn from u the Tenth Canon of the Council of " Antioch , which begins thus, ihofe who a are Jix*d in Village s y or Country P laces y a ^d^ZMChorepifcopi, alt ho* they have u received the Imposition of Hands as Bi~ u /hops , to which Dionyfius Exiguus y in his a Tranflation for Explication fake, adds, " fo as to be Confecrated Bijhops. And "' that this is the true Interpretation of " thofe Words, is plain, from what fol- " lows iii that Canon : For iriimediate- u ly a Caution is put in, that altho' the " Chorepifcopi have received fiiCh Epifco- a pal Orders, yet they ought to know their a Station, and le content with the Care and " Government of the Churches committed Chap. XII. . OfBifiopsSuft^an. 145 to them. This (hews that they had fe- deral Churches under their Care , which is certain only Bifhops could have. But it is laid, they were for- bidden to Ordain Eriefts or Deacdns, both in this Canon of the Council or Antioch&A in the 1 jtli of the Council of Ancyra. Yet this by no means de- stroys, it rather abundantly confirms our Opinion. Forafmuch as the for- bidding the Chorepifcopi to Ordain Priefts or Deacons, plainly proves they they had fomedmes done it ; which they would never have offerM at, un- lefs they had been a&rfally and truly Bifhops. Befides , it is dbfervabie, that they are not abfolutely forbid to Ordain Priefts and Deacons, but to do fo without the permiffion of the Bifhop of the City in whofe Diocels their Vil- lage is Situated, as it is exprefsM in both thefe Canons. But had the Cho- repifcopi been Presbvters only, they could not have Ordain'd tho' permitted by the Bifhop to do fo. And befides all this, the 6 Council of tfeoexfirea plainly diftinguifhes between the Cho- repifcopi or Bifliops in the Country, and the Presbvters in the Country. It is indeed there (aid that they were infti- tuted according to the Pattern ot the L Seven- Cm. isf U- 146 Of Bifhops Suffragan. Chap. XII. feventy Difciples, yet that they are Fel- low-labourers with the Bifhops. Arid tfco' by the Eighth Canon of the Sy- nod of Antioch Presbyters are forbidden to grant any Canonical Epiftles , yet the Chorepifcopi are allowM to grant commendatory Epiftles, no lefs than Bifhops. To omit the Eighth Canon of the Council of Nice, and the fecond of the Synod of Chalcedon , which plainly diftinguifh the Chorepifcopi and Presbyters, the Council oiLaodicea puts this matter beyond all Controverfie ; Forbidding Bifhops to be made in Villages , but onlyVifitors, and ordering that thofe which are already constituted, Jha/l aft no- thing without the consent of the Bifhop of the City. And St. Bafil in his Ninetieth Canonical Epiftle reproves his Chorepif- copi for Ordaining Clerks contrary to the Canons without his Knowledge, and fays that he will Depofe fuch as {hall fo Ordain for the future. For whereas Bifhops were Ordain'd only in Cities, and every City had often large Territories annexM to it, the Bi- fhop of the City could fcarce perform the Duties of his Office in all parts of his Diocefs : Wherefore Bifhops of large Sees appointed one or more Co- adjutors to affift them, who were placed Chap. XII. QfBifoops Suffragan. 147 placed in fomc part of the Country, remote from the City. Fpr this pur- pofe Chorepijcopi , or Yillage-Bi- fllops were appointed , with a Reftri- ftion that they fhould do nothing of Moment without the Bifhop of the Ci- ty to whom their Region was Subjeft. And we find by the Aftsof Councils, That there were anciently a great num- ber of thefe Chorepfccfi , who as well as other Bifhops were prefent there , and Subfcribed in their own Names'^ not as Deputies for others : Becaufe where any Deputies Subfcrib'd, they always named the Bifhops by whom they were Deputed. In the fir It Coun- cil of Nice we have the Subscription of PalladiuSj Seleucius, Eudamon, Gorgcm- us y Stephanas, Euphromon, Rbodcn, and diverfe others, all Cborep/feopL But this is to be ObfervM in the Subscriptions , that whereas Bifhops always named the City over which they prefided, thefe only Subfcribed in this manner, Pai/a- dius Cborepifcopiis t Seleuciu$ Chcrepifcopus, without naming any Place where they performed their Funftions. For t-ho' they were truly Bifliops, yet had they no City under them, but were them- felvesiubjeQ: to the Bifhop of fom.e Ci- ty. And therefore Ferrandus^ Diaconus, L 2 i and i4§ Of Bifhofs Suffragan. Chap. XII 4 and Crejconius, call them the Vicars or i Deputies of the Btfljops. And indeed c their Deputations were fometimes fo ' large that they eafed the Bifhop of all 6 his Care : Hereupon it is Obferv'd in * 1.6. c ii9- ' the 7 Capitularies of Charles the Great, c that fome Unlearned Bifhops Conftitu- c ted Chorepifcopi, that they might give Hib 4 tp ii ' themfelves up altogether to Eafe and Plea- ' ' fire. 8 Sidonius {ays the fame o(Claudi- i anus, Brother to Marcus Bifhop of 6 Vienna. A Prelate of the Second Rate was he, Eafing his Brother in the Bifhops See ; For one the Bifhops Ornaments did Wear, The other only had the Bifhops Care. ' Where we fee Claudianus is called a 4 Prelate in the fecond Decree, which • would not have been unlefs he had been c aftually a Bifhop, for never any Presby- c ter was called (Antiftes) a Prelate : But 4 he is called a Prelate in the fecond De- L gree, becaufe he was not Bifhop of the 4 City, but only Chorepifcopus • yet he c took upon him the whole Epifcopal 1 Charge, which was impoffible for him 6 to have done had he not been a Bifhop : 6 And fo indeed Gennadius exprefly calls c him , in his Catalogue of Illuftripus Men, Chap. XII. Of Bifbops Suffragan. H9 Men, Treating of Sahian, and having occafion to mention this Claudianus,\vz Stiles him Biftiop of Vienna : And nor undefervedly, when he had all the Epifcopal Care laid upon him. But when this grew too common, and Bi- fhops for their Eafe and Pleaftire made Chorepifcopi only to Devolve all their g Care on them,9 The Council ofMeaux, ' Cjp ' 44 " A. D. 845. forbid the Bifljop of a City out of Idlenefs, or any other fccular Eufi- nefs, or for Infirmity, to fuffer the Cho- repifcopi to exceed their Bounds. It mu ft not be here omitted that the Office at leaft, altho' not the Name of the Cho- repifcopi has been leceiv'd in England from ancient time : for they are calPd BifJjops Suffragan. I am not ignorant that all Bifljops.are called Suffragans, be- caufe they are obliged to give their Suffrage to , and to affift the Archbifjjop. For they are called in to part of the Archbifhcfs Care, tho* not to the fulnefs of his Power, 10 as our Lindwood fays. But neverthc- L ^ ch- iefs, they are alto calPd Suffragans who P if - C - are Afliftants to other Provincial Bi- fbops, concerning which a Statute wa Promulged in the Twenty fixthYear of Henry VIII. Where it was De- creed, That in Twenty fix Places thei e named, and not elfewhere. Suffragan L 5 ' 4 Bifhops s 1 50 Of Bijlcps Suffragan. Chap. XII. Bifhops fhould be appointed, and that they fhould be Confecrated by the Archbifhopj and two other Bifhops; but iQ that none of thefe fhould Exercife any Epifcopal Office but fuchas fhould be committed to him by the Biflhop in whofe Diocefs he is Conftituted. And of this kind were the ancient Chorepifco- p ; who were Confecrated as other Bi- fhops were, and had all Epifcopal Pow- er committed to 'em, which yet they might not make ufe of but as they were permitted by the Bifhop of the Dio- cefs in which they were Conftituted. But if any of them did Confecrate Priefts or Deacons, they were liable to be PunifhM, but the Orders were not Invalid : Neither were they liable to Punifhment, if they had leave to Or- dain from the Bifhop of the City : For the Power of Ordination arifes not from the Affignation of a Diocefs but from Epifcopal Order. I fhall add nothing to whatthis Learn- ed Author has faid, to prove the Cborepif- copl to have been of the Epifcopal Order, but I think it may be convenient to fhew how they have continued in the Church, how they came to be called Suffragans, and what Reafons there are X.6 revive the life of 'cm, They were in the Church, as has Chap. XII. Of Bi/hops Suffragan. 151 has been already obferv'd, before the Council of Nice j becaufe fo many of them fubfcribed to the Afts of that Sy- nod, and probably are as old as the Apo- ftolical times, as Rahanus Maurus alferts : The Reverend Doflror has fhewed that they continu'd in the Church till the time of * Charles the Great, which was till the beginning of the 9th Century ; how they were continued in Foreign Parts, I am not able to fay, after this Age, for want of Books to enquire farther into this par- ticular. They were brought into En- gland, about tljte middle of the Seventh Century, not much above 60 Years after Chriftianity was eftablilh'd amongft our Saxon. Anceftors. For Mr. Wharton in his } Anglia Sacra gives us the following ' p** u Account. ' From the time of the Bleffed ^ ' 5 ' c Augufiine the fir ft Archbifnop of Can- ' terbury even to the time of Archbifhop ' Lanfranc, of Pious Memory, by the c fpace of 462 Years , there was no ' Archdeacon in the City or Diocefs of ' Canterbury. But from the time of the * Bleffed Archbifhop Theodoras, who was 1 the Sixth from the Bleffed Auguftim, 1 even to the time of the forefaid Lanfranc, 6 there was in the Church of St. Martin in * the Suburbs of Canterbury, a Bifhop Or- i dain'd by St. Theodoras , Authorized T, a 4 there- 152 Of Bijbpps Suffragan. Chap. XII. 4 thereto by Pope Vitaliantis, who in the 4 City and Diocefs of Canterbury fupplied 4 the Place of the Archbifhop, inhisAb- 4 fence, by Conferring Orders, Confe- 4 crating "Churches, and performing all 4 other Pontifical Offices. The fame Bi- c fhop alfo exercifed all manner of Jurifdi- 4 ffcion in the City and Diocefs of Canter- 4 bury, by Authority from the Archbi- 4 fhop vvhilfthewasabfent, and the See 4 full, and when the See was vacant over 4 the whole Province, by the Authority 4 of the Chapter, for the fpace of 399 4 Years, even to the time of the fore- : faid Lanfranc. Upon the Death of this 4 Bifhop, the faid Lanfranc Decreed to 4 have no more, but Conftituted one of 4 his own Clerks Archdeacon, to whom 4 he allowed fuch a Jurifdiction as he 4 Judged expedient. This afterwards caus'd a hot difpute between the Archdea- con and the Chapter, concerning Ju- risdiction during the vacancy, as may be feen in the remaining part of this Frag- ment ; but how it was ended is not fet down. Likewife from the 2 Excerpt a out of the Confuetudinary of the Church afRoche- fter, we are told that 4 The Church of 4 Canterbury was wont to have Chorepifco- 4 pi Refiding in the Church of St. Mar- \ fin, who were poorly Endow'd with Land AYig. jacr. Vol. i. . ^cq phap. XII. Of Bijhops Suffragan. 1 5 j c Land lying near that Place for Food and c Raiment. Thefe Supplied the Place of 4 the abfcnt Archbifhops, and Admini- c ftred the Sacraments of the Church. 3 Gervafius Monachus (who flburifli'd in]J*** the Twelfth Century; in his Lives of,.. 65 ". * the Archbifliops of Canterbury, under the Life oiEgelnothus tells us, that ' formerly ' the Archbifliops otCanterbury had a CA0- ' repifcopus who Refided in the Church of 6 St. Martin^ without Canterbury, whofe * Office upon the coming in o&La n f YAnc c was abolifh'd, as we hear it was done * in all Parts of the Earth. Now Lw~ franc flourifhM in the Eleventh Century, and therefore according to Gervafius the Chorepifccpi were abolifh'd in that Ag e ^ and fure he had means enough of infor m ~ ing himfelf in fo material a Point, which was done not above an Hundred Year s before his own time : However, it is cer- tain from feveral Teftitiionies that they were Suppreffed in the Church ofcanter- bury at that time. We have indeed an Epiftle of Pope Damafus to the African Bifhops, given us by 4 Gratian, wherein A &$- 63. he Decrees, That there Jfjould be no more c ' *• Chorepifcopi, and that their Inftitution is Impious and Wicked. But we have good reafon to. queftion the Authenticneis of this Epiftle, beeaufe it was not urged by Pope Can. <;?. 154 Of Bifhops Suffragan. Chap. Xll. Pope Leo in his Anfwer to Charles the Great abdve mention'd. Indeed the Councils of 5 Sardis A.D. 347. and of 6 Laodicea. A. D. ^6j. do Ordain, that Bijljops fljall not be Ordained in Villages^ hut that Vifitorsfhall be- appointed infiead of them. However, it is certain Chorepifcopi, not- withftanding this Prohibition, did conti- nue, at leaft infome Churches near Seven hundred Years after the laft of thefe Councils, but then I am perfwaded, as Gervafius fays , they were Supprefs'd. Yet in reality there was nothing Sup- prefs'd but the Name, for after this Bi- fhops affumedCoadjutors whom they cal- led Suffragans.lt is plain that theBifhops of Rome were for divers Ages Enemies to the Chorepifcopi , and there this is apparent Reafon for it : It is certain that the Popes have always endeavoured to get a Ma- jority of Bifhops immediately depending on themfelves to Vote in general Goun- cils, but the Chorepifcopi depended abfo- lutely on their own Bifhops, and when they did Vote in Synods, without difpute commonly Voted as their Bifhops would have them. The Pope therefore that he might always fecure a Majority, refolv'd to make Titular Bifhops in partibus infde- lium aut H&reticorum, but could have no fair pretence to do this whilft the Chore- pifcopi Chap. XII. Of Bifhops Suffragan. 1 5 > fifcofi continued, becaufe they performed thofe Functions for which Titular Bifhops were pretended to be neceffary. For in itU 7 Council of Trent it was declared, ^f;^^ That they were created to fupply the/^.'s. Cures of Impotent and Infirm Bifhops, or offuch as upon Lawful Caufes were abfent from their Churches ; or laftly to affift IlluftriousPrelateswbo were taken off from the care of their Charge by more Weighty Affairs. Now this Was plainly the fame end for whichChorepzfeo- p were appointed originally ; but becaufe 3 Titular Bifhops were Nominated by the *fofih. ?w. Pope, and b y him appointed Coadjutors c t ™\ l 6 [ b ' d *' to other Bifhops, and confequently de- c'oaipofe. pended immediately on his Holinefs , therefore thofe were abolifhed, andthefe conftituted in their Place by the Name of Suffragans. From the time of Lanfranc therefore till the above mentioned Aft of Henry VIII. all our Suffragans were Titu- lar Bifhops,having their Titles inpartibus Infidelium aut Htreticorum , as 9 Thd-\ A ?& s * crx mas Bifhop or Megara, Suffragan to the 790 . Bifhop of Exeter ^ Thomas Bifhop of Lace- demon, Suffragan to Hadrian de Caffe/lo Bifhop of Bath and Wells. Thomas Wells Bifhop of Sidcr/, Suffragan to the Arch- bifhop of Canterbury^ and a Multitude of others I could name, but that Aft of Par- liament 156 Of Bifljops Suffragan. Chap. XII. liament made them all Chorepifiopi again by giving them their Titles from Villa- ges, and for that Reafon, no doubt that Aft was repealed in the firft year of Queen Mary and Revived again in the firft of Queen Elizabeth, That thefe Suffragans were brought in at the Suppreflion of the Chorepifiopi, or foon after I am perfwaded, lihi! e p.M9. IO becauf ' e in tlle Year 1 2 4°- ( not a bove "150 Years after Gervafius fays Chorepifiopi were abolifhed) I find a Chappel belong- ing to the Church of Rochejler, was De- dicated by John Suffragan to Edmund Archbifhop of Cat and I cannot think but that if he had been the fir ft Suf- fragan in that See, fome notice would have been taken of it. And now I cannot but exprefs my moft hearty defires that this Chorepifcopal Office was revivM in this Church,for I am perfwaded it would be very ufeful, especi- ally in Diocefes of larger extent, and in thofe immediately fubjefc to the Archbi- fhops. Some of our Bifhopricks are fo great in Circuit, that it is impoifible far one Man to take that Epifcopal Care of 'em which is necefTary. It muft indeed be acknowleged that the ancient Diocefes 1 Maurice of were commonly larger than any now in jHeeefa England 9 but then they were not with- zpMy out t fa - iX Chorepifiopi : 1 For Bafil Bifhop of ( 4a- Chap. XII. Of Bifljops Suffragan. i 57 Cxfarea in Cappadocia^ had fifty Chorepifco- pi in his Diocefs, who were Deputies for the Adminiftration of Difcipline in lefTer Caufes in the remoter Parts of his Bifhoprick. And certainly Cborepifcop? are now as requifite to affift the Bifhops of large Sees, as Curates are to affift the Mi- nifters of large Parifhes. Let us confider alfo that all our Bifhops are obliged to be abfent half the Year from their Charge, to attend the King in Parliament. Then for our Archbifliops, befides thofe things common to them with other Bifhops, they have the Charge of a whole Pro- vince, which muft neceffarily take up fome of that time which would other- wife be employed in the Care of their Di- ocefs. And his Grace oiCanterbury (be- ing a Privy Counfellor, and one of the Principal Minifters of State) isfo continu- ally involved in Matters of National con- cern, that he can have but little time to think of his peculiar Diocefs.Yet his Grace theprefent Archbifhopcoming to Canter- bury to be Inthroned in Perfon , then made a Vifitation thro' fome Parts of his Diocefs, which for ought that I can find is more than any of his Predeceffors have done fincethe Death of Archbifhop Whit? gift. Indeed the Multiplicity of Buiinefs, which fo perpetually detains our Metro- po!itan> 158 Of Bijhofs Suffragan. Chap. XII. politan from us is a very great Misfortune to the Clergy of this Diocefs. It makes us very Heartlefs in our Funftions, that when we have done our Parts there is no Bifliop to perform his Office amongft us. For when we baptize Infants and exhort the Godfathers to bring them to Confir- mation, and they ask us when that Office will be Adminiftred , we can give them no pofitive Anfwer. We may fay that our Canons enjoyn it to be done once in Three Years. But my Lord Archbi- fliops Grace, tho' never fo willing, is not capable of performing it fo often : How- ever, when thefe Children now brought to be Baptized , are grown to Years of Difcretion, and throughly Inftrufted in the Principles of Religion, according to the Direftions in the Exhortation lately fiven you, and be ready and defirous to e Confirmed, we can admit them to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, with- out their receiving aftual Confirmation. And this is the beft Anfwer we can make to fuch aQueftion. But there is a natu- ral Reply returned to this, viz. that if the Cafe be thus, then itfeems Confirmation is no other than a meer indifferent Cere- mony which may be ufed or omitted at Pleafure : And to what purpofe fhould Men trouble .themfelves to prepare their Chap. XII. Of Bifbops Suffragan. 1 59 their Children and bring them fome Miles to receive an Ordinance which it matters not whether they re- ceive or no. And when fuch Re- plies are made it is very difficult for us to return an Anfwer to them. All we can do is to Ihew that Confirmation is no indifferent Ceremony , but then it is replyed again, that if the Governors of our Church thought fo, care would be taken to have it more regularly and duly performed in every Diocefs. A Clergy- man I remember told me fome Years a- go that he ask'd aSeftary why he left the Church? He anfwerM, becaufeit want- ed fome of God's Ordinances. The Mini- fter askM him what it wanted ? He laid the Ordinance for Impofition of Hands on Perfons Baptized. The Minifter re- plyed that therein he betrayed his Igno- rance of our Liturgy, wherein is an Office of Confirmation for that purpofe. I know faid the Seftary, that there is fuch an Of- fice : But pray when has Confirmation. been Adminiftred,orwhen will it bedone? —-Pudet h&c opprcbrU nobis, Et dici potuiffe, &non potuijje refell'i. Surely fome care ought to be taken that this Sacred Office fhould not be fo generally negle&ed : For tho' it be not a Sacrament, yet it is an Apoftolical Infti- tution, 5^o Of Bifljops Suffragan* Ghap. XII. i Heb. 6.1, 2. tution, and f one of the Fundamentals of Chriftianity alfo, and if rightly and du- ly Adminifter'd may be a great means of furthering the Salvation ofthofe who re- ceive it as they ought, efpecially in an Eftablifh'd Cbriftian Church, where Per- fons are generally Baptized in their In- fancy : That when they come to years of understanding the nature of the Gofpel- covenant, they may as our Church fays * btroiu&ion* * Pubiickly in the prefence of God and ^otlmfthn! ' his Congregation , renew the folemn 1 Promife and Vow that was made in f their Names at their Baptifm ; Ratify- ' ing and Confirming the fame in their c own Perfons ; and acknowledging c themfelves bound to believe and do all 6 thofe things which their Godfathers or 1 Godmothers then undertook for them. I am perfwaded if this Divine Ordinance was regularly and duly Adminifter'd, our Sectaries would not fo much encreafe amongft us. For if Children are well Inftru£ted in the Principles of Chriftiani- ty contained in the Church Catechifm, and then duly Examined and Confirmed by the Bifliop, they would not as they grew in Years be eafily drawn from our * Can. eo. Communion. And our,* Church feems to be of the fame Opinion, when it ftrift- ly requires every Bifhop to perform this Office Chap. XII. Of Bifbofs Suffragan. 161 Office duly once in Three Years + Dr.j M'^.^ Hammond pofitively afferts, that next < to f*[ c ™$™ the embracing of the true Faith, and the reception of the two Holy Sa- craments Inftituted by Chrift himfelf, there is nothing which fo ltrongly binds us to aperpetualobfequioufnefs toChrift, and to a fincere and unchangeable Obedience to the Evangelical Law, as the Ordinance of Confirmation : There is nothing from the diligent and pru- dent Adminiftration whereof the Chri- ftian Commonwealth can hope for greater Returns of Profit and Advan- tage : Nothing laftly, from thenegleft or mere formal performance whereof Ex of ere operators they fay) Piety can re- ceive greater or more pernicious Da- mages. For to this end chiefly was this Rite anciently Inftituted and Celebra- ted , as well that the Obedience which we owe to Chrift, might be more firm- ly Promis'd and Sign'd with this Pledge or Seal, as that a more plentiful erTu- fion of the Holy Spirit might by devout Prayers be brought from Heaven, arid poured on the Faithful and Illuminated toWafh, Anoint and Strengthen them . to lead the new Life. * And again a * ™- 5- * c little after he proceeds in this manner. Certainly if thefe things which have 1 6 2 Of Bifijop Stgragan. Chap. XII. 4 been Pioufly and Prudently Ordain'd in * the Chriftian Church, (either by the 4 Apoftles themfelves, or from their px- 4 ample, by Apoftoiical Men, their Suc- 4 fcffors both in their Chair and their 1 Power) were as Pioufly as Reverend- 4 lv, and as con (lastly Adminifter'd by 4 the Prelates, the other Weapons of Ec- 4 clefiafticalDifcipline being called in to 4 a Gift in Place and Order as need (hall 4 require ; if thofe who are Baptized in 4 their Infancy, and aifoon as tfcey grow 4 up are Inftrufted in the Catechifm , 4 and a clear Explication of the Baptif- * mal Vow, and the Heads of the Catho- 4 lick Faith, be by the Reftors of their feveral Parifhes, brought at length to the Bifhop , pofited in an eminent Place not more Qutfhining all Perfons in Ho- nour than in the Holinefs of his Con var- iation, that by his Paternal Admoniti- ons and Denunciation, they may bs ad- mitted to the folemn Confirmation of what they have Profefs^d and Renounced ; and only thro' thsfe aufpicious begin- nings, fhould thsy be admitted to af- pire to the Lord ? s Table ; and be more- over repelled, and by the power of the Keys bound, and interdicted and made to abftain from the Priviledges of Di- fciples, as often as tfoy(h4 be overtaken 4 in Chap. XII. Of Biffjops Suffragan. 16 j in a Fault, or are found guilty of any && 6. 1. ^ IViiful Tranfgreffion, and be redeemed and refcu'd from this Shipwrack by the Table of true and folid Repentance only; If I fay, by this not fowre yet feverc Law, not Inftituted for vain and glittering Pomp, but for a folemn and ftated War with Iniquities, we Chri- ftians would accuftorri our felves to Serve and Profit in the Camps of Chrifr, it canfcarcebefaid or conceived what a Fruitful and BlefTed Harveir, we might expeft from this Seed and Cul- ture, what a Viftory againft the Fkfh and Satan, what Trophies we might lCor< l0i4< gain from thefe Weapons of Apoftolick Fear j which are not Carnal or Weak, but Powerful thro 1 God, and excellently fit- ted for the pulling dawn firong Holds ; when as thefe Methods of our Polity being defpis'd, and either growing ia- to an Univerfal Difufe, or kept in Fd- flhion only for a vain fhew of Piety, de- generating at length into a meer Sha- dow, Operis Operati, as they fay , or (which is yetworfe) turn'd to gain and & e Re P liL Covetoufiiefs, as (SpaUtenfis complains) f^/pA'^ at this- Day we vaia'ty feek a- Church in the Chmck, S&rvants \a tlie Family of God T or Di&iples of Chriflt among ChriftianSj neither can we find any M 2 ' thing 164 Of Bijhops Suffragan. Chap. XIL • * thing Good or Holy befide the Sha~ ' dow and the Name amongft the Pro- 4 feflbrs of Piety. God forbid that the latter part of the Words which I have cited from this great Man, fhould be ap- plicable to the prefent ftate of the Church of England. We have at this time many Vigilant and Diligent Paftors in our Church, whofe Piety Care and Labours are Confpicuous, I only fray , that it Mat. 9; 38. wou jd pleafe the Lord of the Harveft, that he will fend forth more fuch Labourers into his Harvefl. And forafmuch as Confir- mation is fo ufeful and fo neceffary an Or- dinance, and yet as matters now ftand, it cannot be duly and regularly Admini- fterM in all Parts of the Realm, accord- ing as our Laws and Canons require, I wifhan expedient was found out that more Bifhops might be Confecrated for the more due and orderly Adminiftration of it. Upon thefe and fuch like confidera- tions, I think Suffragan Bifhops are abfo- lutely neceffary. I could with a great deal afeafefbew, that before the Refor- mation there were Suffragans in moft parts of this Kingdom. 3 Anthony Har- mer^ (and I think his Authority may be good in this particular, becaufe his Ad- verfary does not pretend the contrary jtells tis that ' in many Diocefes, whofe Re- ' cords 5 Specimen f. 30. Chap. XII. OfBi/bops Suffragan. 165 4 cords are prefer v'd, there appear a 4 continued Series or Succeffion of Suffra- 4 gan, as well as of proper Bifhops, and 4 that for the fpace of 200 years before 4 the Reformation. I could my felfgive a Catalogue of above 3 o fuch if I thought 4 6 H . it needful. But the Preface to the 4 Aft ,, ^ * of Parliament which fixes the Sees for Suffragans, fays pofitively, that Suffragan Bijhofs are accujlomed to be had within this Realm, which is certainly fufficient to fet this matter beyond Difpute. And 'tis plain by the fame Aft that they werede- figned to be continued after the Reforma- tion : And this Aft was accordingly put in Execution. 5 For Mar. 1.9. A.D. 1556. T Ang.sucr. Thomas Manny ng was made Bifhop ™ m ] ' ^ of Ipjwich, and John Salisbury ofThetford, boi h Confecrated by ArchbifhopCranmer, and appointed Suffragans to the Bifliop of Norwich. The fame Year William Moor was Confecrated Suffragan of Colchefter, and the year following John Hodgeskins of Bedford, and the year after that William Finch oi Taunton , with divers -others. And in Queen Elizabeths Reign when the Reformation was fully fettled, we find Richard Barns 6 Confecrated Suffragan Bi- \r Q f h: ' u fhop of Nottingham , A. D. 1 567. And 7 Richard Rogers Confecrated Suffragan 7 ^w ~, cs ; , Bifhop of Qover, by Archbifliop Parker, M '3 Ann. 166 Of Bifhops Suffragan. Chap. XII. Ann. 1 569. How the appointing Suffra- gans came to be laid afide, I cannot fay ; certainly our Anceftors thought 'em ufe- f ul, otherwife we fhould not have had an Afl; of Parliament ftill in force for the con- * can. 60. rtitution of them, and 8 our latcft Ca- nons which are allowed to be of Authori- ty do plainly fuppofe our Bifhops to have Suffragans, when they do appoint that every Bifbop or his Suffragan in his accufio- med Vifuation, do in his own Perfon careful- ly perform the Office of Confirmation. So that when I plead for Suffragan Bifhops ; I do not plead for any alteration of the prefent Conftitution , but only that our prefent Conftitution ( which is certainly the beft in the World ) may be entire in all its Parts : For the laying afide Suffra- gan Bifhops has made a Breach in it. Now the ufe of Suffragan Bifhops is to affift fuch Bifhops as have a greater Care and Burthen laid upon them than one Man can go thro 7 with as he ought. Such a Care and Burthen lam confident feve- ral of our Bifhops have. Forfirft,his Grace the A. B. of 'Canterbury has a Diocefs larg^ enough to Employ a Bifhop's whole Care. Tho' as Metropolitan lie is to infpeft and overlook all the Bifhops of the Province, which needs muft require a confiderable Portion of his Time, In the next place,, it Chap. XII. OfBijhops Suffragan. $67 it is neceffary for the good of the Church, ( which ought to be confider'd firft) that he fhould be a Minifter of State, and a Privy Councellor which muff needs take up another Portion of his time, and that not a little one. So that let him be a§ diligent and induftriotis as is poffible, yet can he not perform all Epifcopal Functions belonging to a Bi~ fhop in his Diocefs. I do not fay that an Archbifhop cannot do more than fome of our Archbifhops formerly have done, but he cannot do all that is requifite, particular- ly to Vifit and Confirm every Three Years duly and regularly. This makes a Suffragan or Affiftant neceffary for him, and our Law allows him one with the Title of Dover. The Archbifhop of fork hath a very large Diocefs, and the Care of a Province betides, too much for brie Mail to take care of without Affiftants ; and there- fore the Law allows him Two Suffra- gans, one with the Title oiNottingham, and the other of Hull. The Bifhop of Lincoln has above 1 200 Parifhes under his Care* and the Bifhop of Nomnch near as many, therefore they are allow'd the one Four and the other Two Suffragans to divide the Burthen with chem^ But to fet them in the cleareft Light, and to M 4 ffiew 1 68 Of Bifhops Suffragan. Chap. XII. fhew what good Provifion our Law has made for the due Exercife of Epifcopal Government ; and that no Place may want any Epifcopal Office , I will fubjoin a Catalogue of all our Bilhopricks with the Suffragans Titles belonging to them, as they are allowed in this Realm by the Authority of the Supreme Court of Par- liament. Biihop- Chap. XII. Of Bifljops Suffrage 199 Bifhopricks. Suffragan Titles. ] Parifltaes. Canterbu- Dover. 257 ry, A.K. | London. Colcheter. 625 Winchejler. r Gilford. -p J Southampton.^ afleofw^feo. 604 St. Afaph. 121 Bangor. 107 Bath and Wells, * ^Taunton, n ^BridgewMer. J 1 388 Brifiol. I Briflol, 236 Chichejler. 250 Coventry n and > Shrewsbury. 557 Lichfield, J St. Davids, Cambridge. jo8 Ely. hi Exeter. < St. Germans veil Cornrvah $ • 604 Glocejlev. Glocefter. 267 Hereford. 3 1 ? Landaff. 1 177 Bifhop- i7o Of Bijhofs Suffragan. Chap. XlL Bifhopricks. Lincoln. Norwich. Oxford. Peterborough o Rochejler. Salisbury. Worcester. Tork, A B. Durham, Carli/le. Chejter. SuffragranTitles. r Bedford. ^Leicejter. jGrantham. CHi untingdon* {Thetford. iffmch. i 'Shaftsburji 1 Molt on. Malborouph. {Nottingham. 7 Hull. ' J Berwick. Pereth. Parilhes. Chap. XII. OfBijbops Suffravm. jj 1 The Aft of Parliament alfo names Pen- reth for a Suffragan Title, but I cannot find any fuch Town in Cambden, only he fays that Peretb is alfo Penreth, yet they are plainly diftinguifhed by the Statute. When this Afl: was made., Brijlol and Glocefter were not Erefted into Bifhop- ricks, and therefore were then made Ti- tles for Suffragans. Now byconfidering how thefe Suffra- gan Titles are laid out ? we may conclude, that the Parliament did not think it re- quisite that ail Bifhopsfhould have Suffra- gans neither is it expedient ; for the Suf- fragans Bufinefs is to a (lift, but not to take oft all the care from Bifhops ; Nor would I have it in our Church as it has been obferved, that it was once in the Church of Vimm, between Marcus the Bifhop, and his Suffragan and Brother CUudianus; as was noted before. The one the Bifliops Ornaments did Wear, The other only had the Bifhop's Care. But the Care fhould be divided between them. The Bifhop himfelf fhould Or- dain all Priefts and Deacons in his Dio- cefs, or the Suffragan aot at leaf!: with- out his particular appointment,, accord- ing i-72 Of Bifbops Suffragan. Chap. XlL ing to the ancient Canons. Then for Vi Stations and Confirmations the Diocefs fhould, as near as may be, be divided in- to equal Parts, between the Bifhop and his Suffragans. As for inftance, the Dio- cefs of Lincoln has 1255 Parifhes, too many for one Man to Vifit and Confirm in all duly and regularly ; here therefore the Bifhop is allowed Four Afliftants, let the Diocefs be equally divided into Five Parts, there will be about 250 Parifhes under each Man's Care. I could wifli the Bifhop of Norwich had one Suffragan more, but they may eafily be fupplied by letting the Bifhop of Cambridge be his Af- firmant (for the Bifhop of Ely has fo fmall a Diocefs, that he needs none) the Aft of Parliament not making it neceffary that the Suffragan's Title fhould be in the Dio- cefs of that Bifhop to whom he is Suffra- gan, and we have a Precedent to the con- 9 Angh saer. trary in 9 William Moor, who had the ra 1. p. Title oiColchefter, in the Diocefs ofLox- don, yet was Suffragan to the Bifhop of Ely. Now I am perfwaded that 500 Pari- shes is as much as one Bifhop can take Charge to Vifit and Confirm, if he de- fign to do thofe Duties as he ought. For thefe Offices ought to be performed in all parts of the Diocefs once in Three years : And Chap. Xll Of Bifhops Suffragdn. j-^ And where a Bifhop would do thefe re- gularly and with due Care, not haftily, and as the way is only as it were En Paj- fant, to vifit an Hundred Pa 1 idles in a year, will take up a whole Month at leaft, which I believe any Bifhop will think to be as much time as he can conveniently fpare for this purpofe. Now if the large Diocefes were divided according to this propofed Method, and the Title of Cam- bridge annexed to the See of Norwich, no one Bifhop would have much above 300 Parifhes to take Charge of, and befides out oftheDiocefsof Winchester, Bath and Wells, Salisbury and Carlifle, the Titles of Southampton, Bridgwater, Molton, Malbo- rough and Pereth, might be referved to be bellowed on Coadjutors for Impotent and Infirm Bifhops of their Diocefs which have no Suffragans Titles, according as there fhall be occafion. Thus would no part of the Realm be de- ftitute of the Epifcopal Care, all Bifhops of larger Diocefes, having Affiftants to perform all parts of the Epifcopal Office, by a general Commiffion to them for that purpofe, only referving Ordinations and Inftitutions wholly to the Diocefan • ex- cept when he is hindered by fome Lawful Impediment, a Licence may be granted to a Suffragan to perform either of thofe Offic es i 7 5 Of Bijbops Suffragan. Chap. XII. Offices fro ishc vice. And in the Diocefs of Canterbury the Suffragan of Dover fhould have a general Commiffion to perform all parts of the Epifcopal Fun&ion in e^- very part of the Diocefs, only refervlnga Power in his Grace the Archbifhop of Canterbury to fufpend his Jurifdi&ion, when he has Time, Leifure and Will to perform thofe Duties in Perfon. This Bifliop might alfohavea general Licence to Ordain ; only he fhould be oblidgtt to give timely notice to the Archbifhop of the Titles and Qualifications of the Per- fons to be Ordain'd, and to receive his Ap- probation of them; that fothe Charges of Letters Dimiffcry might be faved. If it be asked what Jurifd-i&ion it may be proper to allow the Suffragan? with fubmiffion I think it. to be the feme with the Chancellor or Coramiffary, by uni- ting thefe Offices to the Suffragans in thofe Diocefes where it is convenient the BiChops fhould have fuch AfEftanis. And for fuch as neither have nor need Suffra- gans, there kt the Dean of the Church be always the Bifbops Chancellor. For it is moft requifite that he who is the Head of the Colledge of Presbyters, who are the Bifhops Sspate, fhould have the next Authority to the Bifhop throughout the whole Diocefs, A;nd. where there is a Suffragan Chap. XU. Of Bijhops Suffragan, 147 Suffragan lie may alfobe the Dean of the Church, And if there be more Suffra- Sns one at leaft may be Dean alfo, and e others well dignified in the Church, And it is not much to be queftion'd, but moft pf pur Lay-Chancellors in England, would take Orders if they might be made Deans, as thofe Dignities fhould fall, and Suffragan Bifhops where fuch are expedient. Let alfo fome of the belt Li- vings in every Piocefs be annexed to the Deanry , to go always along with it, and a good Prebend with Two of the beft Livmgs in every Church where more Suffragans are required ; that fo the Of- fice might be rendered Honourable by a fufficient Maintainance. I am fully per- fwaded that if what I have herePrgpofed were Eftabliflied andPraclifed in all parts of theRealm,it would prove of very great Benefit to the Church of England, This would ftopour Adversaries Com- plaints againft our Lay-Chancellors, and the largeft of fome of our Diocefes. It would alfo free the Clergy from a Cano- nical fubjeftion to thofe which are apt of our own Body,which I believe no Clergy in the World is fubje£t to but ours, in any Epifcopal Church: Nay, no other Body of Men in the Kingdom are fubjeft to the like. Lawyers are accpuntableonly to ij6 Of Bifljops Suffragan. Chap. XI I. to Judges of the Bench, and the Gover- nors of their Houfes or Inns of Court. Phyilcians have the Prefident and Fellow of their Colledge, all of their own Pro- feflion : Merchants, Tradefmen and Ar- tificers have their Mafter, Wardens arid Affittants of their feveral Companies, to whom they are accountable in Matters relating tot their feveral Callings : The Clergy are the only Body of Men over whom Prefide Perfons not of their own Profeffion. We fhould alfo reap this Advantage from the Regulation Propo- fed ; that it will be a general Encourage- ment to the Clergy to Study the Civil and Canon Laws, (Sciences too much negle&ed by us) \^hen they find the Knowledge of them a ready way to fo many Preferments. Whereas now find- ing the advantages accruing from thefe Studies to fall altogether to the fhare of Lay-men, they totally dif-regard them, and are generally psrfeft Strangers to them. Another Benefit accruing from this Regulation would be, that we fhould have no Inftitutions conferr'd by Lay- Men; an Abufe which as I have heard, feveral of our Bifhops have juftly com- plained of, and therefore doubt not but their Lordfhips arc very defirous it fhould Chap. XII. Of Bifhbps Sa$ragdfo i 77 fhould be rectified, and will do all that lies in their own power towards an alte- ration in this particular: For certainly the Cur am tit dm & me am cannot regular- ly be granted by any other than a Bifhop ; and a Lay-man tho* a Chancellor cannot I think have fo much as a Delegated Cure of Souls,much lefs can he beftow one; Ne- mo dat quod non habet is an infallible Max- im . And Nemo plus juris adalium transfer- repotefi quam ipfe haberet, is a Rule in the Civil Law. D. %6.Ut. 17. /. 54. which our Lay-chancellors cannot be ignorant of,tho' they daily praftice the contrary. All this which I have here propofed, ( except the annexing Dignities to thefe Offices) is wholly in our Bifhops power to regulate, for the Laws now in force give them full Authority to appoint Suf- fragans, and to make Clergy-men their Chancellors. And methiftks it is very odd that 10 fome of our Bifhops have for- \° see* Taper merly made their Complaints of I.ay-{^^;™ Chancellors, or what is not in their pow~ Lambeth er to re&ifie, when all the World knows fo«>w e ?s ag0 ' they appoint fuch themfelves , without Grievances of being any ways compelled to do fo : For the Church of tho' theParliament allowsLay-men to ex- Ev fi l f hi i . r r . . ., • r i • -i • . { *vhtch are not ercile lpiritualJurildiaion,it by no means mtbepotoer obliges Bilhops to give them Commifli- °f its Goverm ons to do fo* and they may have Clergy- mrst0 "*** N men i 7 8 Of Bifhops Suffragan. Chap. XXL men for their Chancellors and Commit farks if they will themfelves ; Befides, it is plain that Aft was made only to Autho- rize the Commiflion which King Henry the Villth gave to Crormvel, when he made him Vicar-general of all England: But I believe the Parliament little thought the Bilhops would founanimcuf- ly follow fuch a Precedent , w 7 hich was fet up to deft roy Church-go vernment,and bring us to Erajlianifm, The Bifhops have a full power to appoint their own Deputies to whom they will commit their Jurifdi&ion : How unreafonable it is then for them to give away their power toLay- men, and then cry they cannot help it? Certainly Clergy-men are the fitteft Per- fons to Judge of Matters belonging to 1 their own Order and Offices, and yet Lay-men are chiefly made their Judges in thefe things, to the perpetual Infamy of thofe that heretofore fo Order'd it where the Government did not by any means require it. s vnu and I know it is pretended i that Chorepif Zlgksofn- copi. have been laid a fide, as affaming too r p!i^ rg * much to themfelves. But there can be no fear of any fuch matter in England, where / the Parliament has wifely provided , That they (hall not dare to exceed their due Bounds; For thev have Decreed, ' That Chap. XII. Of Bifbofs Suffragan. 179 That every Archbifhop or Bifhop of this Realm, for their own particular Diocefs, may and fhall give fuch Com- miffion or Commiffions to every fuch Bifhop Suffragan, as fhall be fo Confe- crate by the Authority of this Aft, as hath been accuftonrd by Suffragans heretofore to have, or elfe fuch Com- miflion as fhall by them be thought re* quifite, reafonable or convenient. And that no fuch Suffragan fhall ufe any Ju- rifdi&ion, ordinary or Epifcopal Pow- er , otherwife , nor longer time than fhall be limited by fuch Commiflion to him to be given, as is aforefaid, upoii pain to incur into the Pains, Loffes, For- feitures and Penalties mention'd in the Statute of Proviiions, made in the Six- teenth year of King Richard II. Here- by the Suffragan Bifhops have a greater Tie upon them thaii'Chaucellors or Com- miifaries have, it may therefore bereafo- nably fuppofed they would be more Ob- fequious to the Bifhops than the Ecclefi^ aftical Judges- we have atprefent, being- more ftri&ly bound to their good Behavi- our, thro' the Danger of incurring a Praemunire. & 2 CHAP, j So C H A P. XIII. OfJrchbifljops or Metropolitans. A S fome Bifhops were Suffragan and St ibjeQ: to Diocefans y fo others alio were Metropolitan and Superiour to them : Not Superior in Order but Jurif- diction,asthe Suffragans were Inferiour. Lisdifputed by the Learned whether it can be proved by Scripture that the Apoftles themfelves Conftituted any * Jm:ct .Ms Avch^bifhops or Metropolitans. iDr. \ l ^ l fc l'cordu^ ammon ^ w *'' have Timothy and Titm sacerd & /wp.tobe fuch: 2 Peter de Marc a the late Learn- 1.6.C.L ^ ed Areh-bifhop of Paris declares himfelf ^ ?;> '^/V 4 .of the fame Opinion ; and to him 3 Dr. +Cmftcrau Beveridge Subfcribes ; To whom I may serm. Am. ^ t j ie j ate mo ^. R everenc j Father 4 Arch- J-JO "71 1 C C C • * nijfert. of bifhop 5 w croft ^Dr. Cave and 6 Mfr. Dti Pin the andcm f ee m to be of a contrary Sentiment, and Vewmem. ' tho'chey allow Metropolitans to be of very "De jimiq. great Antiquity, yet they do not acknow- f"J; pi f ci ~ ledge them of Apoftolical Inftitution. It is not for me to pretend to decide acon- troverfie managed by fuch eminently Learned Perfons, tho' I do not conceive that they do difagree very much in their Affertions : And by what I can gather by comparing their Arguments and Citati- ons plina. Chap. XIII. Of Arcbhifljops, &c. P S t giis on both fides, the Original of thefe Church-Governors appear to me to have been thus. The Roman Empire which contained almoft all the known Part ofChriftendom, was divided inro feveral Provinces by Auguftm C Can. 12,13* 2 The Council of Laodicea Decrees alfo at the fame time, 4 That Bifhops long ' approved G hap. XIV. Ofthe Election of Bifbofs&c. 191 4 approved both in Faith and Doflrrine, 6 fhall be constituted for the Government ' of the Church, by the Metropolitans ' and Neighbouring Bifliops. And that £ the Multitude fhall not Ele& any Per- 1 fons to be Ordained. But tho' the Bifliops had the undoubted Right of Constituting other Bifhops yet • were not the People wholly fihut out; their Confent was generally asked, and they had a Right 0? making Exceptions toany Perfons nominated , tho' herein they were confidered as Witneffes rather than Pudges, 3 as the late Bifliop (tiWorcefier' Anjpf hasobferved. Sometimes it may be the 97# Bifliops might permit them to nominate a fit Perfon themfelves, but they could never challenge this of Right or Cuftom; And it is very probable, than the Bifliops did frequently Confecrate a Perfon re- commended to them by the People, but no doubt if he was:unht, or they judged him to be fo, they refufed him. * And 4 Gratim proves from a great many very 4 L ancient Decretal. Epiftles, 'That Bifliops ' were to be Elected by the Clergy, at '■ the Petition of the People, and Gonfe- 1 crated by the Metropolitan and Pro- ' vincial Bifhops. So. it feems as if the People; commonly recommended fome Perfons to the Clergy by whom one-was Eleded tot. 192 Of the Ekttion ofBijJjops, Src. Chap. XIV* Elected and Prefented to the Metropoli- tan and other Bifhops, whom they either Confecrated or rejected, and appointed another in his ftead, as they thought belt. Therefore tho' we do meet with the Suffrages of the whole People, in the Electi- on of Athmafius, and the Plebis Vulgique judicium be fpoken of by St. Jerom, and * E$ m Eccies'm the famous Election o? Fabian y re- ML6.C 28. corded by 5 Eufebitts , mention is made of all the Brethren gathered together for the Election of a Bifhop, yet this does not prove but that the Metropolitan and other Bi- fhops were ftill Judges of the Per ion, and might reje£t him that was thus Chofen, and Confecrate another if thev thought it expedient. For the Bifhops had certain- ly fuch a Right ; and tho 3 the People fhould Elect one who needed no Confe- cration, yet this gave him no Title to the Bifhoprick, unlefs the Bifhops of the Pro- vince Confirm'd his Election : For the *Qt*~ 16. 6 Council of Antioch declares, i That if a vacant Bifhop (That is a Bifhop which has no Diocefs of his own, as Balfamon explains it) c getting into a vacant Church, ' takes Poffeflion of the See* without a ' perfeft Synod, he is to be ejected, al- ' tho 7 all the People of that See which he c has taken PolTefTion of fhould Ele&him. c But a perfect Synod is that where the Metropo- Chap. XIV. Of the Election of Bifoops, &c. 195 4 Metropolitan is alfo prefent.But S. fypri- /(up- on the occafion of thfcir clioofing &*£//*#; & F8 Of Feuds or Benefices. Chap. XV, improbable that the Roman Emperors might learn to difpofe of their conquered Lands after this manner, from the Ex- ample of thofe Enemies who fo frequent- ly infefted them. However, it is certain that they came Originally from the Nor- thern Nations,who as old as i Cafars time c^ e ifb! l 6. ^ ac * t ' ie ^ r ^mbacti or Feudatary Vaffals, long before any thing of the like Nature was eftablifhed in theEmpire.Thefe Feuds probably received their name from Fmdus (if from any Latin Word) becaufe of the Covenant between the Lord and his Vaf- fals : But the Feudifts fay afde quamprs- fiat Vafallus Domino. a FettL 2< 2 Obertus de Or to to his Son Anfelm, de- riu 23! §. in fines or defcribes a Feud which he alfo frimisv calls a Benefice, after this manner 'This * kind of Benefice whereof we now c treat, is voluntarily and of meer good * Will fo given to another, that the Pro- ' priety of a thing immoveable thus * granted, fhall ftill remain in the Giver: * But the Vfus FruBus [that is, whatever * Profit or Benefit accrues from it] of the 6 thing thus given, fhall be transferred 4 to the Receiver, and to his Heirs Male 4 or Female (if they be exprefly mention- i ed in the Grant) for ever : On this Qon- ' dition, that be and his Heirs, fljall faith- i fully ferve the Lord of the Fee y whether that Chap. XV. Of Feuds or Benefices. 199 4 that Service be particularly expreffed 4 what it ought to be, or only indcfinire- i ly promifed. ' 3 Dr. Ridley defines it thus. 3 view cf civ. 4 A Feud is a Grant of Lands, Honours %^f z ^' u 6 or pees, made to a Man, either at thd • * Will of the Lord or Sovereign, or for c the Feudatary's own Life, or to him 4 and his Heirs for ever, under Conditio 4 on that he and his Heirs ib. long as they 4 poflefs thofe Lands, Honours or Fees, 4 do acknowledge the Giver and his Heirs * to be their Lord and Sovereign, and 4 fhall bear Faith and Allegiance to him 4 and his for the laid Tenure, and (hail 4 do fuch Service, to him and his, for the < fame as is between them covenanted, < and proper to the Nature of a Feud.' 4 Thefo were at firft granted only during 4 feud. *'. the Will of the Lord; Afterwards they Tit, 1. § «. w r ere firm for a Year: Then it was de- creed that they fliould be continued dur- ing the Feudatary's own Life : But be- caufe the Sons could challenge no Right of SuccefTion to the Feud, in Proccfs of Time the Lprd commonly gave it to one of them, yet made his own Choice of which Son he pleafed, till at length it was decreed by the Emperour % Lonr^ dus Salicus A. D. 91 *-• that all the Sons „ r . ftiould fucceed alike, and if there WW 1. 5^ noSons, theGrandfons or Brothers Sons, mm. O 4 ana 2Q0 Of Feuds or Benefices. Chap. XV and by this means they became Heredi- tary in the Empire. 'Spelnuots a- 6 Hi '^ h Ca ? Ct ma 202 Of feuds or Benefices. Chap, XV. to what our common Law now calls Lord y Mean and Tenant. The Inferiours by theirTenures were obliged to affift the Lord of whom they held, and bring fuch a Number of Men into the Field to de- fend him upon all OccaGons, which were more or leis according to the Quantity of Lands they held of him. By this means thofe that had large Feuds which they held of the Soveraign immediately, and had fubdivided thefe to their Valvafors and Valvafni were hereby enabled many times to raife confiderableForcesand be* camefometimes formidable to the Prin* ces themfelves. For a fuller Account of this Matter, Spelmans Glojfary and C&l- vins Lexicon Juridicum may be confulted under the Word Feudum. ^Dupin. 7 Now when the Church in thefe vohic.p.ii. Weftern Parts efpecially, by the Favour and Bounty of Princes became poffefled t?u?' U °fl ar g e Feuds, then alfo 8 Archbifhops, Bifhops and Abbots became confidera-, ble and noble, as well in the State as the Church, having Power and Authority to let out their Feuds to Valvafors , and to *SpeimanV ta k e an Oath of Fealty from them, %$%Zd* 9 which that they might and did do in and Tenures by England, as well as other Parts of the ^cl g ^ $ T' Weftern Church, is manifeft from the J'41'' famous Charter of Ofwtldy Bifhop of Worcefter, Chap, XV. Of Feuds or Benefices. 20} JVorceJler, in the Reign of King Edgar, whereby it appears that the Tenants 4 were bound to fwear to be in all hum- f ble Subjection to the Bifhop, as long as \ they fhould hold their Lands of him. i And that when the Qccafions of the ( Lord Bifhop fhould require, whether ' for his own or the King's Service, they ' fhould in all Humblenefs and Subjecti- ' on be obedient to the chief Captain, or ' Leader of the Bifhoprick for the Bene- 6 fice (or Fee) granted to them, and the f Quantity of Land which every one of i them poffefled : With divers other jnatters which they were bound to ob- ferve. Whether Bifhops before this were called to the great Councils of the State I cannot/ay ,and it will,I believe, be a dif- ficult matter to determine. Becaufe I am perfwaded that as foon as Chriftiani- ty was received by thefe Northern Nati- ons, Bifhopricks were endowed with thefe Sorts of Tenures, and confequent- ly were fummoned by theSoveraign, to- gether with all thofe who held in Capite of him. But however this was, when Ecclefiaftical Perfons as Bifhops and Ab- bots became poiTeffed of great Feuds which they had Power to grant to their Vahafores znAVahafwi^thtw Power and Authority hereby became fo confidera- ble 204 Of Feuds or Benefices Chap. XV. ble in the State, that all Soveraign Prin- ces of whom they held, thought it ne- ceflfary to require of them an Oath of Fe- alty or Homage upon the Account of their Tenures, and to oblige 'em to fup- ply them with a certain Number of Sol- diers for the Wars, and fometimes to go themfelves in Perfon, and to be prefent in the General AlTemblies of the States, (to which tho' they might probably have a Right to come before, yet could they not be compelled to come, till they were pofleffed of fuch Lands as the Soveraign might enter upon, if they performed not the Service to which they were obliged by their Tenures,) and to difcharge all other Duties belonging to them as Feu^ dataries. CHAP. 205 C tt A P. XVI. Of Inveftiture. IT was the Cuftom before Feuds be- came hereditary (and Ecclefiaftical Feuds were never made fo , neither could be) that upon the Death of any Feuda- tary, the Lord or Soveraign Entred up- on and took Poffeffion of the Feud, 'till he thought convenient to beftowit upon fome other Perfoii. And when he gave Poffeffion of the Feud to any Succeffour, he was faid to inveft him with it. When Feuds were made Hereditary, the Heir might demand Inveftiture of the Lord upon his prefenting hirtifelf to take the Oath of Fealty and to pay his Homage : But for thofe Feuds which were not He- reditary, the Lord took his own time to inveft with the Feud what Perfon he pleafed. 1 Inveftiture was given either proper- * Feu i ly or improperly. Properly, when Pof- Tit. i. feffion of the Feud was actually given : Improperly, when fomething was given, denoting the Service which was to be done for it ; as a Spear, or fome other Warlike Weapon if it Was a Military Feud,and thePaftoral Staff and Ring if it Was EccIefiafticaL As thereforePrinces en- tred ?. 2c6 Of Invefliture, Chap. XVL tred upon, and gave Pofleffion or Inve- ftiture of Lay*feuds, fo did they alfo of a Dupin-Ftf/. Ecclefiaftical. 2 Upon this Account af- lo ' pt 5U ter the Death of a Bilhop, the Soveraign immediately entred upon the Feuds be- longing to his Biflioprick (and in Procefs of Time» this was alfo extended to all the other Temporakies of the See,) and kept Pofleffion of them fo long as he faw convenient. When he invefted any Perfon with thefe Temporaries, which Xvas ufually done by giving him a Crofier or Paftoral Staff and a Ring, becaufe thefe were the Tokens and Etifigns of the Epifcopal Dignity, (tho' it might be done by Writing or otherwife, fo it de- clared the Prince's Will) that Perfbnwho was fo invefted, was afterwards confe- cratedby the Metropolitan and fomany other Bifhops of the Province as were judged expedient for that Purj)ofe. 3 Gratian gives a Decree of Pope Ha- ? . ^f 6 ^ &**% wherein he gives to " Charlemagne " a Power to choofe the Pope and to in- H veft Archbifhops and Bifhops in all .the u Provinces of his Empire, and that no K K£hopihaIl be confecrated who is not * firft invefted by him. m But this is ge- nerally fuppofed by Learned Men to be a Forgery, becaule GrMlan quotes the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory for it, and yet no Hiftory Chap. XVI. Of Inveftiture. 207 Hiftory of thofe times mentions it till Sigehert of Gemhburs who flourished not tilkhe Beginning of the twelfth Century, 400 Years after this pretended decretal Epiftle. And lie tells us in his Continu- ation of St.Jeroms Chronicle, that Chzr- lemagne went to Rome in the Year 774 when Pope Hadrian held a Council and gave him this Power of Inveftitures* But neither Eginkard who wrote the Life of this Emperour, nor any other cotempo* rary Author mention any thing of it, nor does it appear from them that Charles did go to Rome that year. However Leo VIII. cites this Decree, and confirms the fame Privileges to Otbo the Great : Which De- cree is extant a-lfo in Gratiaa, immedi- ately after the former. But whether Hadrian's Decretal Epiftle be forged or not, is no material Point : For the Popes were generally very liberal in granting what they had nothing to do with, and giving to Princes and Other Perfans what was their own before ; that all Per- fons might feem to hold all their Rights, Privileges and Poffeffions of them. And 'tis certain that the Princes in their Contefts with the Popes about this Mat* ters, would >never acknowledge that they received this Right by any Grant from his Holinefs, but always inftfted upon k £o8 Of Invefliture: Chap.XVl. it as an undoubted and inherent Pre- rogative Royal defcended to them with the Crown. Andfo no doubt it was. For if Bifhops would have and enjoy the Feudal Lands belonging to their feve- ral Sees, they muft be content to enjoy them on thofe Terms by which they toere given. And indeed it muft have been very prejudicial to the publickif fo many great Feuds had been given to Perfons who would not be obliged to hold them of the Soveraign by an Oath of Fealty and Homage, nor to receive them from them as others did, and ob- lige themfelves to ferve him either in Perfon or by Proxy. It was unreafonable to think that Princes fhould fo give away their Lands as to diveft themfelves of the Supreme Royalty. Now Feuds (¥s has been faid) revert- ed to the Lord upon the Death of the Feudatary, ("except fuch as were Heredi- tary, which Ecclefiaftical Feuds could never be) and upon this Reverfiorf to the Lord it was in his Power to make a new Grant of 'em where he pleafed, and poflefs all the Benefits and Profits arifiiig from 'em till fuch Grant was made. Wherefore tho' by the Cuftorris and Canons of the Church the Eleftion of a Bifbop belonged to the Clergy "and 'Peo-J pie Chap. XVI. Of Inveftiture. 209 pie together with the Metropolitan and comprovincial Bifhops, yet it was at the Pleafure of the Prince whe- ther he whom they Ele&ed fhould enjoy the Temporalties of the Bifhoprick or not, becaufe they reverted to his full Poffeflion upon the Death of the former Bifhop. Upon which account, no doubt, the EleQors were willing to quit their Right of Election to him, at leaft to Eleft the Perfon he fhould nominate or invert ; knowing that not many would like to undertake the Paftoral care if there were no Revenues to make the Burthen more eafy. By this Means after the Feudal Law was generally received throughout Eu- rope it became a general Cuftom for all Soveraign Princes in the Weftern Churches to inveft whom they pleafed with the Temporalties of Vacant Bifho- pricks, and the Perfon fo inverted was Confecrated by the Metropolitan and Provincial Bifhops. And that the Princes Approbation and Inveftiture was requir- ed before they prefumed to proceed to a Confecration is apparent from Matter of Fa& almoft 150 years before the Reign of Charles the great, on whom Gr&tUn pretends Pope Adrian firft conferred that Right. For we find in p the 2io Of Invefiiture. Chap. XV% the Author of the Life of St. Romanus Archbifhop of Rom (as I have it from ■VoLiz.p- 6 i,\DuPm) that when this Saint was EleQ: ed, and the great Men about the Court unanimoufly advifed the King to approve his Eleclion : And that Prince Tit was Clovis 2. or his Father Dagobert) having convened the Bifhops and Abbots gave him the Paftoral Rod, in eonfequence whereof he was Confecrated. Princes continued to enjoy this Right Peaceably and quietly without any conteft, that I can find, till about the End of the E- leventh Century. So that they feem to have poffeffed this Royal Prerogative without difturbancefor above 400 years : For Clovis 2. Lived about the middle of the Seventh Century, and then it is cer- tain from what has been faid that Princes did Invert ,and it is very probable they did it fome time before. I know indeed that 5 Grctiw will l^J^Potefl. not allow that Princes lay claim to circa'sacra. the Right of Nomination to Bifhopricks Cap. 10. §. 21. f rom t gj s p eU( } a l Cuftom of Inveftiture, but attributes it to their Supreme and abfolute Authority. And it muft be ac- knowledged that the Supreme Power may do any thing either in Church or State not contrary to the Law of God. But it is certain from the Edi&s of Jujlinian Chap. XVI. Of Inveftiture. 21* "Juftinian and the Decree of the Coun- cil of Aries above cited, that the Church did enjoy the Right of Ele&ions after the Roman Emperor and other Princes became Chriftian, and I do not find that he can prove that either Em- perors or Kings Nominated Bifhops ge- nerally (whatever they might do by their abfolute Power in fome very great Sees) before the NorthernJsfations had brought in their. Feudal Cuftoms : And then not only Princes gave Inveftitures to Bifhopricks, but 6 Private Patrons alfo e duties -and pretended the fame Right to fuch Chur- gJJ^ ches as they enjoyed the PrefehtationSf.231. of, and would have brought thofe who had their Benefices to a kind of Feudal Service, as the late Biflbop of Worcefier obferves ; but this Practice being com- plained of was prevented by diverie Laws and Canons .- However Soveraign Princes ft ill continued to give Invefti- tures and to require all Feudal Ser- vices, p * CHAP. M» CHAP. XVII. Of the Contejls about Invejiitures in the Empire. iT *Tlldtbrand Archdeacon of Rome un- r! DnTin. JL X der the Pontificate of Alexan- VqU i i. P.29. ^f Il.Whom he Succeeded by the Name of Gregory the Seventh, began the firll Conteft about Inveftitures with Henry 4. of Germany. And afterwards A. D. 1074. is faid to have made a Decree againfl: them in Council heldatKow^, but that is not certain. However it is abfolutely decreed by him in another 2 Council * can, 1. held at Rome when he himfelf was Pope A. D. 1078. that 4 No Ecclefiafticks * fhall receive Inveftiture of any Bifhop- 1 prick, Abby or Church from the Hands i of Emperor, King, or any other Laick 4 whatfoever : And that if he fhall * receive it , his Inveftiture fhall be 1 Null and Void, and he fhall be Excom- c municated till fuch time as he has given c S atisfa&ion for his Offence. This Pro- hibition was again renewedby the fame Pope in another Council at Rome A. D. 1080. The like Decree was alfo made in thefirft Canon of the Council ofPoitiiers. A. D. 1078. And indeed in almoft every Council which was convened during the Chap. XVII. Of the Contefts about 2x3 the Pontificate of this Firebrand fas I may juftly call him; both of Church and State, There were repeated Decrees made againft this long-poiTeffed Royal Prerogative. ; It is to be acknowledged indeed that great Inconveniences might , and no doubt did befall the Church by Reafon of this Cuftom. For Princes did not fo often regard the Vertue and Piety of thofe they preferred to the higheft Sta- tions in the Church as their own tempo- ral convenience If a Clergy-man had any Dependance on the Prince or fome great Minifter of State, fo that he could do e'm Service in their Worldly Affairs, this certainly advanced him to a good Bifhoprick whatever his other Endow- ments were, and how little fit foever he was to take the Paftoral Care upon him. So that Learning, Piety, Vertue and Diligence in performing the Duties of the holy Fun&ion feldom recommended any one to Preferment. Whofoever therefore hoped for a Bifhoprick appli- ed himfelf rather to make his Court to the Prince by Attendance and Depen- anceon Great Men, and feeking to ob- lige them by Temporal Services rather than by Diligence in watching over and feeding Chrifts Sheep -, from whence ,- P 5 fpruri| ' 214 Inveflitures in the Empire. Chap. XVII. fprung, in a great Meafure, that Igno- rance^ Barbarifm and other ftrange Cor- ruptions under which the Church fo long groaned before the Times of the Reformation. However this was not fufficient to juftifie the manner of Hilde- brands proceeding in this Affair. Princes were not to be Heftored out of their Prerogative by Bulls and Canons, they ought to have been more Mildly treated, and if poffible to have been perfwaded by gentle Methods, (the molt likely means to prevail with Perfons in Authority) either to abate fomewhat of their Perogative in this Affair or to have made a right Ufe of it by preferring Perfons of Learning, Probity and Merit. Had he humbly defired Princes not to beftow Inyeftitures without the Advice and confent of their Great Councils or Affemblies of the States, probably he had prevailed ; but going about to abo- lifh the Right it {elf,, and prohibit all Laicks from Exercifing the Right of Pa- tronage which had accrued to 'em by the Endowment of Churches, an,d the Ap- probation of diver fe Councils as weU as Popes, this was not to be endured, and let the whole Empire in a Flame. Gre^ gorj VIL Died without Effeftiog what he fo much laboured at ? and his.aexs Sy£- cefTor. Vol, to. p, 25, Chap. XVII. Of the Contefts about the 2 1 5 Qefiov Fictor III. renewed the Prohibiti- ons againft Inveftitures, but he was foon taken off by Death, and therefore could not do much in this matter. To him fucceeded Vrbane II. a true Difciple of Hildebrands. He in the Decretal Epift!e interdicted a Prieft of Salerno, who held a Church at the Patronage of a Laick, and pronounced the fame penalty againft all thofe who received their Benefices from any befides their Bifhops. 3 Now the conteft between the Pope \^ u Jj n ; and the Emperor about Inveftitures grew l very hot. The Emperor declared, that this had been the undoubted Right of the Empire, from the time of Gregory the Great, and that it feem'd reafonable, be- caufe without it Bifhops could not enjoy the Cities, Caftles, Territories, Feuds, or other Revenues depending on the Em- pire. The Pope replied, that the Church being redeemed by the Blood of Jefus Chrijt was free, and therefore ought not to be put in Bondage. That the Church would by this means become a Vaffal to- the Empire, and this was an Ufurpation upon the Prerogative of God himfelf. And that it was unbecoming, and beneath the Sacerdotal Order and Unftion, that Hands Confecrated with the Body and Blood ofChrift, fliould be put into Hands P 4 ftained ii6 Inveftitwes of the Empire. Chap. XVIL ftained with Blood. At laft the Empe- ror faid he would quit his Right of Inve- ftiture if the Bifhops would quit all the Seigniories and Lands which they held of the Empire. This Pope Pafchal 2 (the SucceiTor to Vrbane, and another Difci- p!e of Hildebrands} confented to ; for he cared not how poor other Bifhops were made, fo they might depend only on himfclf: But the Bifhops could not befo eafily prevailed with to part with' theti Eftates and Dignities on thofe terms. At length the Emperor Henry V. Surprized the Pope and Cardinals, and forced 'em to grant that Bifhops and Abbots fhould not be Confecrated till they had received their Inveftitures from him. But affoon as his Holinefs was at Liberty, he can- celled all, and made new Decrees againfl: Inveftitures. Notwithftanding (fbmefay) that upon the conclufion of this agree- ment betwixt him and the Emperor, wherein he had confirmed to him the Right of Inveftitures, he communicated to his Imperial Majefty a Moiety of the Hoft which he had Confecrated, proteft- ing that he gave it him as a Seal and Pledge of the Peace he had then made with him, and of the Concord which was then between them: And that who- ever of them fhould break this Concord or Chap. XVII. Of the Cdntefts about 217 or violate this Peace, fhould have no part or Portion in the Kingdom ofjefus Chrift. But his Holinefs had fcarce obtained his Liberty before he thought it convenient to difpenfe with this moft folemn Engage- ment. Which I cannot fee how he cowld do with any Lawful pretence, unlefs it had been Matum infe, for an Emperor or Sovereign Prince to Inveft a Bifhop with theTemporaltiesofhisBifhoprick. And if it was' Malum in fe, how could he excufe his taking fuch an Oath ? Or what can be faid to juftifie tliofe infallible Popes who granted this Right to Charlemagne, and Otho the Great, ftill extant in their Body of Canon Law ? But it feems riot only Canons and Decrees, but Perjury it felf too may be difpenfed with, when it interferes with the Intereft of the Court of Rome, Pope Pafchal did not long furvive this Aft, and Cardinal John Cajetan fucceed- ed by the name ofGelafius II. He renew- ed the Decrees againft InveiHtures, but lived not long enough to aft much againft the Emperor. To him fueceeded Guy, Archbifnop of Vienna, by the Name of Calixtus II. Betwixt whom and the Em- peror Henry V. there was at laft an agree- ment made in this manner, by the Me- diation of William oi Champeaux Bifhop &f Cha~ % 1 8 Inv eft it ares in the Empire, Chap. XVII. Chalons and Pontius Abbot ofClugni, who went to Strasburg to begin the Treaty. For the difficulty by that time feemed to be reduced to the Ceremony of the Inve- ftiture with the Ring and Staff: At leaft thofe who were concerned in the Negoti- ation thought fo. Henry the Emperor was ready to renounce this form of Inve- ftiture, provided it might not prejudice his Prerogative ; and that the Bifhops and Abbots fhould hold their Feuds and Roy^ alties of him , and take the Oaths of AU legiance to him, and pay him all thofe Dues to which they were obliged, by vir- tue of the Eftates which they PoirefTed. But the Pope altogether infifted upon a general Prohibition of receiving any man- ner of In veftiture or Ecclefiaftical Bene- fice from Laicks ; to which neither the Emperor or any other Princes would con- fent. For the Princes pretended to thefe Three tbings,(i.)That no Eleftion of Bi- fhops or Abbots ought to be made without their confent.(2) That thePerfon Ele&ed ought to receive Inveftiture from them with the Paftoral Rod and Ring,before he fhould be Confecrated.(})That he fhould be oblig'd to take anOath of fealty to them and dothem homage for all his Feuds and Royalties which were dependent on them. At laft therefore after much canvaffing and Chap. XVII. Of the Contefis about 319 and difputing they came to thisaccommo- dation, whereby it was granted to the Emperor and German Princes, (1) That the Eleftion of the Bifliops and Abbots fhould be made in their prefence, and confequently by their confent. (2) That in Germany the Bifhop Eleft fhould be In- vefted with the Royalties, (that is all the Eftates holden of the Crown ) by the Scepter before his Confecration. ( 3 ) It preserves to them all the Dues and Servi- ces to which the Bifhops were obliged, by virtue of their Feuds. So that all the alteration it made to the ancient Cuftom of Princes confifted, (1.) Inthat it took away the Ceremony of InvelHture by the Paftqral Rod and Ring. (2) That it reftr^ined the Ceremony precisely to the Royalties, andfuch Feuds as the Bifliops held of the Crown. (3} That it permit?, ted the Confecration -o/jpifhops out of Germany., before they received Inveftitu.re, yet upon condition that they fhould re- ceive it within Six Months after. This accomodation was made about the Year 11 20. I do not find that there was any great Controverfie upon this Subjeft, either in France or Spain : The Pope found Work enough about this matter in Germwy and England. However,it feems all Princes did in 22© Invefiitures in the Empire. Chap XVII. in fome Meafure copform themfelves to this Agreement between Galixtus II. and and Henry V. And left off the Ceremony of Inveftiture by the Ring and Staff, tho' they ftill continued to nominate or at leaft to recommend whom they thought fit to be Ele&ed to Bifhopricks : For after all they parted with little of their Preroga- tive, but only with a Form or Ceremony not very material. Indeed the Pope by this means did fo order the matter as to make himfelf a Judge of the validity of Ele&ions, and has thereby often impofed upon weak Princes, and endeavoured to draw all Bifhopricks and great Abbeys into his own Patronage ; but he could ne- ver effeft his Defign as he would do. And tho' Princes have fince this Accomo- dation fuffer'd the Chapters to EleQ: ; yet it has been generally fuch Perfons as they have nominated or recommended to 'em, and Ele&ions have been little more than matter of Form. CHAP- 22* CHAP. XVIII. Of the Contefis abot* Inveftitures in England. ENgland no lefs than Germany had ve- ry fharp Contefts with the Pops about Inveftitures. This was firft begun between King William Rufus and Anfelm Archbifhop of Canterbury, who for his Zeal to the See of Rome was afterwards Sainted. This Anfelm was the Son of Gundulphus and Hermerberga, a Lombard by Birth, as 1 Radulphus de Diceto informs " Dee. Script. us, and born at Aofta or Augufta on the*' 49> Alp. Having been bred up in Learning, he paffed the Alp into France, and going into Normandy, he remained with Lan- franc Prior of the Abbey of Bee, and Go- vernour of the Publick Schools under the Abbot 2 Harletvin, who was the Foun- % ibilf.v&o* der of the Monaftery, and from a Soldi- u 44 * er, became the firft Abbot there. Lan- franc being firft made Abbot of Caen, and after that Arcbifhop of Canterbury left Anfelm his SuccefTor in the Priory of Bee: And foon after by the Confent of the Abbot Harlewin he was made Abbot of the fame Houfe. About Four Years after the Death of Lanfranc, William II. who 222 Of the Com efts about Chap. XVIII. who (according to his ufual Cuftom with Bifhopricks) had fo long kept his See vacant, being taken very ill, and (as it was thought not likely to recover, was at laft perfwaded to nominate an Arch- bifhop to the See of Canterbury. No Perfon was thought fo fit for that high Station as Abbot Anfelm of Normandy , *Eadmer. a t that time mightily famed for his Ex- mfl.Nov. traordinary Piety. 5 He was very un- £•17. willingly brought into England: And being by the King and Lords very much preffed to accept the Archbifhoprick, he ftifly refufed it, and wouid by no means be brought to take the Paftoral Staff. However the Bifhops and other Lords which were prefent, drew him by Force to the King's Bed-fide, and becaufe he fhut his Hand that the Staff might not be be put into it, they held the Staff clofe to his Hand, and declared him Invefted, and fo carried him away to the next Church to perform the accuftomed Ce- remonies. Being out of the King's Pre- fence he turned to the Bifhops and told them ' that they knew not what they 1 did, to joyn a weak Sheep [meaning him- j felf ] in the Yoke with a wild Bull [mean- ? ing the King] by which means the i Church-plow could never go well Notwithftanding (after a great Conteft ' witfe Chap. XVIII. Irtveft it ures in England. 223 with the King , who having foon re- covered his Illnefs forgot the good De- fignsand Promifesof hisSicknefs, endea- vouring to annex the greateft Part of the Temporalties of that See to the Crown, but Anfelm would have 'em re- ftored entire) he was at laft Confecrat- ed at Canterbury, Dec. 5. A. D. 1095. All the Bifhops of England being pre- fent, except Worcefier and Exeter, who were detained by Sicknefs. After his Confecration he returned to Court and was kindly received and entertained by the King and Nobility. Be the King at that time endeavour- ing [to take the Dutchy of Normandy from his Brother Robert, Raifed Money for that Purpofe by all the Means he could, contrive. Anfelm, by the Ad- vice of fome of his Friends, made him an offer of Five Hundred Pounds to* wards this Expedition : But this was .rejected with Scorn, and a Thoufand Pounds demanded, which Anfeim re- fufed to give. Hereby he firft fell un- der the Kings Difpleafure, and Petiti- oning to go to Rome, to receive his Pali from Pope Urbane, he was denied, 4 The King alledging that no Arch- 4 M if , P4r ^ bifliop or Bifhop of this Realm fhould ?* l 9* be Subject to the Court of Rome, or to thte 224 Pf th* Contefts About Chap. XVIII* the Pope. Anfelm was hereupon Charged with High-Treafon, and all the Bifhops of England except Gundutyhm of Ro- chefler refufed to pay him Canonical Obe- dience. The King alfo declared that he would not acknowledge Vrbane for Pope. But in a few Days after this > Walter Bifhop of Albany brought Anfelm the Pall, and did alfo reconcile the King to Vrbane. Anfelm having received the Pall again defired Leave to Rome : At laft the King told him he might go if he pleafed, but he muft never hope to return to England. Soon after the Arch- " biflhop embarked at Dover and went to Rome where he was exceedingly careffed k V i%7 S . cHptm by Vrbane, 5 who honoured him with the Title of Alter -ins Orbis Papa. € Mat. Par. 6 Then in a Council held at Rome, by P.19I his Advice it was decreed that c Such ' Laicks as after the ancient Manner ' fhould conferr Churches by Invefti- 1 tures, and thofe who fhould receive 4 them from Laicks, fhould be excom- 4 municated. m* par 7 u P on tlie Death of Wittim and Sue- k si ' ceffion of Henry I. to the Crown, Anfelm was called home. An. 1 102. He affem- bleda Council in St. Pauls Church Lon- don, about Michaelmas, at which the King himfelf was prefent* Here in a plain Difcourfe, he acquainted the King with Chap. XVlII. Invefiitures in England. 225 with the Decree of the General Council at Rome, concerning In veftitures: 4 How 4 that no Prelate of the Church, whe- 4 ther Bifhop or Abbot, or other Clergy- 4 man fhould receive Invcftiture of any 4 Ecclefiaftical Dignity, from the Hands 4 of a Lay-man. ? Hereupon the Arch- bifhop alfo degraded fotrie Abbots, who had obtained their Abbeys from Lay- men, by giving of Money. He alfo re- fufed toconfecrate Bifhops, to whom the King had given Inveftitures, or to com- municate with them. At which the King being angry, commanded Girard Arch- bifhop of Tork to confecrate 'em : But Willam Giffard the Bifhop Eleft of Win- cbejier defpifed the Gonfecration of G/-- rardj for which the King banifhcd him the Realm. And Reinetmus the Bifliop of 'Hereford, becaufehehad received his Inveftiture from the King, refigned his Bifhoprick to him again, The next Year, Jnjelm with the Kings Leave, went to Rome and was^reccived by Pope Pafchal IX. the Succeflbr of 1>V- hane. And upon the Day appointed for the Hearing this Matter, William of WarenaH a Clergy-man, the King of England's Proctor, opened the Gaufe: And declared that 4 the King his Mafter i would as foon part with his Kingdom, 226 Of the Contefts about Chap. XVIII, i as the Right of Inveftitures. ? And the Pope replied that 4 he would not fuffer ' him to retain 'em uncenfured \imfum~\ MfrNov. tl10 ' lt Were t0 faVe llis 0wn Life ' ' 8 How - p. 73, ever the Pope by the Advice of his Coun- cil did forbear to fend this Anfwer to the King in fuch harfh Terms, allow- ing him to enjoy fome ancient Privi- ledges, but notwithftanding interdicted him the conferring Inveftitures to Churches, yet withal declared him free for a time from the Excomumcation, which he was fuppofed to have incur- red by afting contrary to the Canons : Neverthelefs thofe who had received Inveftitures from him were continued under that Cenfure 'till they had made Satisfaction for their Fault' 1 , and then Anfelm was Empowered toabfolve them. Then his Holinefs wrote a Letter to die King, wherein after a great many Com- ?lements , he defires him to recall his 'aftour and Father Anfelm, and promifes that ' if any thing was done contrary to ' his Prerogative in the Matter of In- veftitures, he would moderate that af- fair according cto his Majefties Plea- fure an' jar as the Law of God would ferm if him to do. Chap. XVIII. htvefiltures in England. 2 27 Anfelm alio wrote to the King his Mafter at the fame time , and lets hint know that 4 he had acquaint- 4 ed the Pope with his Caufe ; and that 4 his Holinefs faid he could not but fol- 4 low the Steps of his Predeceifours, and 1 commanded him not to communicate 1 with thofe who had received Invefti- 4 tures of Churches from his Ma jetty 4 fince their Knowledge of this Prohibit c tion, unlefs they repented and quitted i their Preferments without any Hopes 4 of regaining them : Neither could he 1 Communicate with any fuch, except 4 they referred themfelves to the Judg- 4 merit of the Apoftdlick See. After this he tells him, that ' he was told by 4 Willi Xr&Waremft his Majefti^s Agent at 4 Rome that bfcfofb he prefiimbd to ett- 4 ter the Kingdom, he fhould promife 4 to Suffer his Majefty to erijoy qiiietly 4 thdfe Cuftoms Which his fathei: ftfia 4 Brother h&d dnjdyed before him. But 4 defines td be excufed in this Matter, for 4 that he cdlildnot pay Homage to hiitu 4 nor Cdrftimmicate with thofe who re- 4 iceived liiV&ftitutes from hilffl The King updii the Return of Willim and Receipt of theft Letters, immedi- ately Seized updfi all the Temporalities at the Afchbiihopfifck.. Anfdm the Q^ 2 mean 22 S ' Of the Conlejls about Chap. XV III. mean while Staid at Lyons with Hugh the Bifhop of that City. From thence lie went to Blots to Adda the Kings Sifter^ and by her Mediation obtained a Meeting with the King (who was then in Normandy) at the Abby of Bee. Here the King received him into Fa- vour , and reftored his Temporalities and gave him Leave to return into Eng* land, provided he would not in any thing withdraw from the Communion of thofe who had received Inveftitures from him, or thofe which Confecrated any of them. But Jnfelm would not yield to this 'till he had Signified it to the Pope, and knew his Pleafure : And having obtained Leave from Rome to abfolve thofe who had received Inveftitures and paid Homage, the whole Matter was ibon accommodated, the King promifing that the Tax which his Brother William had laid on certain Churches (hould be releafed : And that he would not take the Profits of them during their Vacan- cy whilft he lived : And that he would reftore to Anfelm all the Profits of his Archbifhoprick which had been received during his Exile. This Accommodati- on was made at Bee in Normandy, Anno 9 Ma. rar. 1 1 06, 9 And was publickly ratified the £r.p.9,!^ Year following in a Council at Weft- minjlir Chap. XVIII. Invefilt tires in England. 229 minsier , where the King alfo granted that c for the time to come no Bifliop or 4 Abbot in this Kingdom , fhbuld be 6 Inverted by the King or any other 4 Lay-man with the Ring and Staff. ' Anfelm alfo by the Popes Leave, pro- tnifed that * No Man ffioiild be denied 4 his Confecration, after he had been 4 Elected, for paying Homage to the 4 King. " Upon which almoit all the Churches in England which had been long deftitute of their Paftburs by the Advice of Anfelm, and the great Men of the Realm, had Fathers appointed for 'em by the King, but the Ceremony of Inveftiture by the Ring and Staff was omitted. So that the King parted only with Ceremony of Inveftiture, re- taining ftill the right of Nomination and of Receiving Homage. Jnfeljntt^ joyed his See peaceably about two Years after this, and then Died and was Buried in his Church at Canterbury. A. D. 1 1 09 in the Seventy Sixth Year of his Age, and the Sixteenth of his Pontificate. 10 The See continued Vacant Five Yen rs, 1° Exdmttut and then the King by the Advice of his z> - u; v- Barons Nominated Rodu/pbvs BiJliop of Rochester to the Archbiflioprick, and hq was Elefted by the Bifhops of the Pro- vince and the Clergy and People brCan- Q, 3 terbtiry T\ £9. 2 g o Of the Contents ah cut &c. Chap. XVII terbury. After his Death the fame King Mat. rjr, Henry i gave the Archbiflhoprick of Canterbury to William de Corboil prior of Chiche. I do not find that King Henry was ever oppofed in his Nominating to Vacant Bifhopricks after the abovemen- tioned Agreement with Anfelm, but Mat. Far. peaceably enjoyed that Right all his Days. 2 In the Reign of King Stephen there was a Council Affembled at Weft- minfter A.D. 113S. by Albericm Bifhop of Hoftia the Popes Legate, and then Theobaldus was Elefted by the Bifhops to the See of Canterbury in the Prefence of the Prior of Canter bury y but no men- tion is made of the Kings Nomination : And probably the King did not inter- pofcat this time, for Stephen having but a precarious Title to the Crown could not fo fltifly maintain the Royal Rights. There were fome other Bifhops Corife- crated in this troublefome Reign, but I . cannot find how they were Elefted or nominated. King John feems to have endeavour- ed the Reviving the old Way of Inve- ftiture /which was certainly laid v- fleep all his Fathers Reign, or we fhould have heard of it in the Contefts, betwixt that Prince and Archbifhop Becket) for he granted to William Marfljal Earl of Pembroke Chap. XVIIL hjenfiitures in England. 23 1 'Pembroke the Right of Invefting the Ab- bot of Nutely with the Paftoral Staff, with all the Liberties and Cuftoms appertain- ing to that Right. The Diploma by which this Grant was nvde, was pub- lished by Mr. Selden in his Notes on Ed- merus. But notwithftanding that Prince might for fome time claim fuch a Right, he was forced to yield it up again after- wards. tL$ CHAP- %1* CHAP. XIX. Of the manner of EleBtons in England. HEN thefharp Conteft between King Henry II. and Thomas Becket about the Rights and Privileges of the Mat. Far. Church was in Agitation, l that King io c. called a Council to Clarendon A. D. 1 164. where were prefent the Archbifhops, Bifhops, Abbots, Priors, Earls, Barons, and other Chief Men of the Kingdom, who affembled to make a Pvecognition and Declaration of feme of the ancient Prerogatives of the Crown and Cuftoms of theRealm, where among other things it was declared 2 c That when an Arch- 12.' bifhoprick,orBifhoprick, or Abbey, or 6 Priory within the King's Dominions is ' vacant,it ought to be in his Hands, and ' he fhall receive all the Revenues and i Profits as his own : And when it fliall 6 be thought convenient to fill up the Va- ' cancy of the Church, the King fhall i fummon the Chief Perfons of the i Church, and the Election ought to be * made in his Chappel, with the AiTent \ of our Lord the King, and the Counfel c of fuch Perfons of the Kingdom as fhall * be called for that Purpofe. And there 'the Dec, Script 1*8 Chap. XIX. Of the Manner of &c. 23 j 1 the Elect fhall, before he is confecrated, i pay Homage and Fealty to the King, 4 as a Liege-man to his Lord of Life and 4 Members, and of all his Earthly Ho- 4 nours, Salvo ordrnefuo. ' Which \ fup- pofe was added to exempt them from rerfonal Service in the War and all Servi- ces unbecoming the Sacred Function. It is certain that there was a Form of Eleftion even whilft the Cuftom of Inve- ftitures was received in the Church, and the fame Form was continued after- wards. And in England Elections were not made by the Chapter only as atprefent, but the Provincial Bifhops alfo gave their Suffrage, 3 this appears from the Elecfci- } Mat. Far. on of Richard Vviov of Dover in the Room?' I2 ?- ^ 2I * of Thomas Becket, A.D. 1173, And the Controverfie of the Monks of Canterbury with the Provincial Bifhops about the Election of John Gray to that See A. D. 1205. For upon the Death of Hubert, the Monks of Canterbury acquainted King John with it, defiring his Leave to elect another. Hie King recommended to 'em John Bifhop of Norwich, requiring them together with his own Clerks whom he fent to their Convent to ele6l him : And accordingly he was elected, and the Election openly declared in the King's Prefence, and the Archbifhop Eleft cj4 Of the Manner of Chap. XIX. Elect received the Temporalties from him, and was placed by the Monks in the Archepifcopal Chair. But the King fending to Rome to have his Election con- firmed, the Bifhops of the Province alfo fent their Complaints againft the Monks of Canterbury for prefuming to elefl: a Metropolitan without them,when as both by ancient Cuftom and common Law they ought to give their Suffrage at the Election. The Pope indeed declared in Favour of the Monks, not thereto in- duced by the Merits of the Caufe (as the Authour of Jntiquitates Britannic* ob- ferves) but becaufe the Monks were more obedient to him, and when his Holinefs hadrefcinded and nullified the former Election, more readily complied to eleft the Perfon he nominated to them ; which was Stephen Langton a Cardinal Prieft, and Chancellour of the Univerfity of Pa- 4 m p r * s ' 4 ^ was e ^ e ^ e( ^ at R° me by die p. 222*. ' Monks of Canterbury which were fent thither by the Convent upon the fore- mentioned Occafion, and therefore being in the Popes Territories, durft not act otherwife than he would have 'em, tbo* they were upon this Account profcribed by the King, and declared guilty of High Treafon. The King flood ftiff for the Maintainance of his Royal Prerogative, till Chap. XIX. Elections in England. 235 till the Kingdom being put under an In- terdict by the Pope, and the King of France entering upon his Provinces be ? yond the Seas, \n$ his own Varans rifing in Rebellion, agq afl him &%thc fame timc^ b? TX •:'- >brced to comply with fWg, and iubmit to the niofi fL;meful Terms of Agreement im- pend upon him by Pandt//f bus the Legate of Innocent &c Third. By this means the Content of the Provincial Bifhops in the Cafe of Eledions feems to have been ut- terly loft in England, the, Right being declared by the Pope to be in the Chap, teroniy, which in that Age did general- ly conflft of Monks, who were put into Cathedral Churches by Archbifhap Dunftan jn the Reign of King Edgar, and the Secular Clerks, were then turned out. yet in fomq Foreign Churches the Pro- vincial Bifhops continued after- this (and perhaps may dofo ftihV to give their SuR % Decm . frage in E!e8:ions, as appears from 5 a pe- Greg. /. ». , cretal Epiftle of the ajaove n^entioned In- 7lU 5 ' r 4i - nocent III. to the Pnor and Chapter of Strigonitirn y wherein he requires 'em to proceed to the Election of anf Archhifhop* Dut not without the Suffrage of the rro^ vincial Bifhops if it has heefi Cqiromary to require their Content. The 2j6 Vf the Manner of Chap. XIX. The Right of Ele&ions feems there- fore to have been devolved upon the Chap- ter rather by Cuftom than any confuta- tion. The Council of Aries as has been obferved, made a Decree that 4 to avoid ' Ambition and Simony, the Bifliops 1 fliould name Three Perfons, whereof 1 the Clergy and People fliould choofe * one. But when Princes began to in veft whom they pleafed, and the Parochial Clergy and People of the Diocefs found their Elections were meerly formal, they did not think it worth their while to leave their other Affairs to meet at the Aflem- blies forEleftions, and by Degrees left it wholly to the Chapter, who being al- ways Refident in the Cathedral Church- es, could more eafily meet there for that purpofe : And the Provincial Bifliops gave their Aflent to the Ele&ion, when they Ajflfembled to Confecrate the Eleft. But all this as it referred to Eleftion being on- ly matter of Form, they by Degrees neg- lefted to AlTemble all of them together, only Three or Four were commanded by the Prince, to Confecrate whom he had Inverted or Nominated, and caufed to be Elefted by the Chapter, which they did as in Obedience to him, and concern- ed themfelves no further. And thus I an) perfwaded, that the whole Form of Eleaion Chap- XIX. Elections in England. 2 J7 Ele&ion in procefs of time devolved to the Chapter only by long prefcription. Tho' in Englmdxht Bifhops feem to have prefer ved their Right in concurrence with the Chapter, till the above menti- oned decifion of the Pope, who depri- ved them of their Right, becaufe they were not fo obfequious to him as the Monkifh Chapters. CHAP. 238 CHAP. XX. Of the Conge de eftre. A Fter malty hot CoiitroVerfies about _ Ele&ioiis and Nominations to Bi- * Mat. Paris fhbpritiks, * King fdk$ by his Charter* * ; ? 2U bearing date Jan.'i^ hi the Skteeiith year of his Reign, and of our Lord 121 5. granted with the common confent of his Barons, , that all Cathedral Church- 4 es and Convents Ihould be free in the 4 the Elections of their Prelates, faving 4 to himfelf and his Heirs the Cuftody of 4 vacant Churches and Monafteries. * And that he will not hinder them any 4 manner of ways, to choofe a new Pa- 4 ftor upon a vacancy, provided that they 4 firft crave leave of him and his Heirs to 4 proceed to an Election. From hence came the ufe of the Conge de Eflire, 4 which he alfo promifes he will not de- 4 nyordeferr: And if it be denied or de- * ferred, that then the Electors may ne- 4 verthelefs proceed to a Canonical Ele- * ftion. But after the Election, his ap- 4 probation alio muft be asked, v/hich 4 he alfo promifes fhall not be denied 4 without good reafon alledged and pro- c vede This Charter was afterwards confirm- Chap. XIX. Of the Conge de Epre. 2 j cj confirmed by Magna Chart*, and many fucceeding Parliaments. Hereby it appears, that by the Tenor of this Charter, the Chapter was not obliged abfolutely to choole theFerfon whom the King fhould nominate or re* commend to them ; nor yet the King to approve the Ele&ion made by them. This occafion'd diverfe ControVerfies be- tween the King and the Chapters, which caufed frequent Appeals to Rome, (be-- caufe the Fope w T as then thought tobz the only proper judge of thefe Rights) as appears from the 2 Election of an Arch- 2 Mju^t. ^ bifhop, in the room of Stephen &*ngtm y *'* s °' 37 " and of a Bifhop of Winchester, upon the' Death of Peter de Rufibus, and diverfe other inftanees of the like- nature. By this means the Papal provifions were iit- troducM into this Realm : 3 For the Popes * h] ^- as Vicars of ChriH challenged a Superin- V-.{ c i L tendency over all Churches, aftd a pow^vpV;/:.. er of nominating Bifhops for all vacant ^^ncicr*: Sees, efpecially w T hen there vfa& am' eon-' troverfie about the Ele&fon ; tho* v they did not always wait for that , 2s ap- pears in the Confecration of John Feck- ham, Walter Reynolds, and a great many more, ment&n'd by the Author of Jnii- quates Br if tan fticg, and other of otur fife* ctefiaftical HfHorians: And even where the ru>: Cm. tit. lertgfc 240 the Conge de E/lire. Chap. XX the King and Chapter had no difference^ as in the Cafe of Henry Chichley, John Kemp and diverfe others, the Pope would either refcind and nullifie the Ele&ion, or elfe take no notice of it all, and con- fer the Bifhoprick on the fame Perfon by his own Authority : And this he called providing for the Church. Whereby it came to pafs that for feveral Ages we had few Bifhops who did not poflefs their Sees by virtue of thefe Papal provifions, not- withftanding the many repeated Statutes againft this intollerable Ufurpation : Yet fuch was the facility ofour Princes in this point, and fuch the Power and Authority of the See of Rome in this Realm, that no effe&ualftop could be put to this egre- gious abufe, till the Reign of Henry VIIL When the Papal Yoke was perfe&ly thrown off. * 2?. A s. 4 Then it was eftablifhed by an Aft d 20. f p ar li am ent i That at every Avoid- 4 ance of an Archbifhop or Biflioprick 4 within this Realm, or in any other of 4 the Kings Dominions, the King may 4 fend to the Prior and Convent or Dean 4 and Chapter of the Place which fhall 4 be void, a Licenfe under the Great Seal 4 to proceed to an Eleftion of an Arch- 4 bifhop or Bifhop of the See fo being 4 void, with a Letter Miflive with the name Chap. XX. Of the Conge de Ejliri ^i ' name of the Perfon whom they fhall ' Eleft orchoofe : Which Perfon they are * to choofe and no other. And in Cafe 'theydeferr the Ele&ion above twelve i Days after the Receipt of the faid Li- ' cenfe and Letters Miifive, then the King ' fhall Nominate by his Letters Patents c fuch a Perfon to the faid Office and c Dignity as he fhall think able and con- ' venient for the fame. And the King i fhall appoint the Archbifhop with two * other Bifhops, or if there be no Arch- i bifhops, then Four Bifhops to Confe- 1 crate and Invert the Perfon fo Nomi- * nated or Elefted. And if the Prior and * Convent or Dean and Chapter proceed 'not to Elettion within the Time limit - 1 ed, or negleft to certifie the Arch- ' bifhop of fuch Election if it be of a * Bifhop, or the King if it be of an Arch- c bifliop within twenty Days after the ' Receipt of the Kings Licenfe, or if any 4 Archbifhop or Bifhop refufe to Confe- ' crate the Perfon foEle£ted or nominated ^ * within twenty Days after fuch Election c or Nomination is Signified to 'em by c the Kings Letters Patents, or if any of c them or any other Perfon, Sue, Pro- ' cure or obtain any Bulls, Letters of 4 other things from the See of Rome up- 4 this Occafion, or do any thing contra- 1 ry to this A& , he fhall incur the R 'the 242 Of the Conge de Ejlire^ Chap. XX c the Dangers, Pains and Fenalties of ' the Statute of Provifion and Praemunire i made in the Five and Twenty Year of 1 the Reign of King Edward HI. ^GodoipkJbr. 5 in the Reign of King Edward VL c up. 3. §.21. w j ien { ome p er fons were not for leaving the Clergy any Shadow of their ancient iM. 6. c 2, Righ ts or Priviledges, t a New Aft was made with Relation to his Affair, Enti- tuled An Act for Eleftion^andwhat Seals and Stiles (ball be ufed by Spiritual Perfons, &c In which it was ordained, ' That Bifliops ' fhould be made by the Kings Letters ' Patents, and not by the Eleftion of the * the Deans and Chapters : That all i their Procefses and Writings fhould i be made in the Kings name only, with * theBifhopsT^ added to it ; and Sealed 6 with no other Seal than the Kings, or * fuch as fhould be Authorized and ap- 4 pointed by him ". In the compound- ing of wliich Aft there was more Danger fas Dr. Heylin obfervesj couched, than at firft appeared. ' For by the laft * Branch thereof it was plain and evi- * dent fays he) that the Intent of the c Contrivers was by Degrees to weaken 6 the Authority of the Epifcopal Order ? ' by forcing them from their ftrong 4 Hold of Divine Inftitution, and mak- 4 ing them no other than the Kings Minifters Chap. XX. Of the Come de Eftire. 243 4 Minifters only, or as it were his Eccle- * fiaftical Sheriffs, to execute his Will and 'diiperfe his Mandates." And of this Act fuch ufe was made ftho' poflibly beyond the true Intention thereof/ that fas the faid Dr. Heylin obferves) the Bifhops of thofe times were not in a Ca- pacity of conferring Orders, but as they were thereunto impowered by Special Licenfe.The Tenour whereof (\{Saunders be to be believed was in thefe Words following, viz. i The King to fuch a 4 Bifhop Greeting, whereas all and all 4 manner of Jurifdiftion, as well Eccle- 4 fiaftical as Civil, flows from the -King 4 as from the Supreme Head of all the 4 Body, &c. We therefore give and grant 4 to thee full Power and Licenfe, to 4 continue during our good Pleafure, for 4 holding Ordination within thy Diocefs 4 of N. and for promoting fit Perfons un- 4 to Holy Orders, even to that of the 4 Priefthood. Which being looked upon by Queen Mary, not only as a dangerous Diminution of the Epifcopal Power, but as an Odious Innovation in the Church of Chrifi j She caufed this Act to be re- pealed in the firft Year of her Reign, leaving the Bifhops to depend on their former Claim, and to AcX in all things which belonged to their jurifdiftion in R 2 their 244 Qf the Conge de EJlire. Chap. XX. their own Names, and under their own Seals as in former Times. In which Eftate they have continued without any legal Interruption from that time to this. 6 But fome Perfons in our Age who love to be always ftarting Difficulties \fffF*: t0 Hum ° r fuch as bear ill Will to our ■lergyp-s^ Conftitution, have Suggefted, Thatal- tho' this Act ofEdw. VI. was repealed in the 7 Firft year of Queen Mary, yet that 7 cap. 2. Repeal was taken off again in the $ firft Year of King James, and therefore, fay JM& 2 * tIle y? l ^ is Statute i s revived. But the Plain and fhort Anfwer is this, That there was no need of any Debate about the Repeal of the Statute of Edward VI. 'after the firft of Queen Elizabeth where- in the above cited Aft of Henry VIII. was exprefly revived. So that Bifhops are ftill Elected and perform their Ec- clefiaftical Functions legally according to that Aft. 9 Epifopacy l For whereas, 9 fays Bifhop Sanderfon y T\ l Vyi l l a l ' lt was thought convenient in Kins; to Fegd Power c fc> p §. 38. Edward's Reign, to change the Style ' uled in the Ecclefiaftical Courts, be- 6 caufe it was contrary to the Form ufed 6 in the common law-Courts within this c Realm, (which is one of the Reafons ' in the faid Statue expreffed) it might 4 very well upon further Confideration < be Chap. XX. Of the Conge de Efire. '245 be afterwards thought more convenient for the like Reafon to retain the accu- ftomed Stile, becaufe otherwife the Form of the Ecclefiaftical Courts would be contrary to the Form of the other civil-law-Courts within the Realm (as the Admiralty , and Earl-Marfliall's CourtJ and of other Courts of the King's Grant made to Corporations, with either of which, the Ecclefiafti- cal Courts had a nearer Affinity, than with the King's Courts of Record, or other his own immediate Courts of common- Law.Nor does there yet appear any valuable Reafon of Difference, why the Inconformity to the common Law- Courts fhould be thought a fufficient Ground for the altering of the Forms u- fed in the Ecclefiaftical Courts ; and yet the like Forms ufed in the Admiralty, in the Earl-MarfhalPs Court, in Court Ba- rons, in Corporation Courts &c fhould fnotwithftanding the famelnconformitvj continue as they had been formerly ac- cuftomed without Alteration. Neither, as he obferves at the Beginning of his Difcourfe, can the Bifhops or anv of the Judges of thofe Courts laft mention- ed, take upon them the Authority *to cite any Perfon, or to give any Sentence, or to do any Aft oi'Jurisdi- R ? 4 aion <2$6 Of the Conge de EJIlre. Chap. XX. c clion intlie King's Name ; Having ne- ' ver been by him authorized fo to do. Indeed, I think, there needs no great- er Limitations to be laid upon the Church than what arc contained in that Aft,of H. VHI.particularly inRelation toEleftions. For the Dean and Chapter are allowed to make no manner of Exceptions to the Perfon nominated by the King, but muft neceffarily elect him within the time li- mited, neither may the Archbifhops or Bifhops make any manner of Obje&ion againft him but muft alfo neceffarily con- fecrate him. Nay tho' they do but de- fer this fome few Days that they may with all humble Submiffion reprefent the Unfitnefsor Undefervingnefs of the Per- fon appointed to this higheft Office in the Church, they immediately incurr a Pre- mtmire. Under a good Prince indeed there is no Danger of the Churches receiving any Damage by hisMajefty's having fuch anabfolute Power in the making Bifhops, but under an ill Prince we muft expect Bifhops of the fame Stamp. If in the late Reign a Conge de ejlire had been drawn up and fent to any vacant See for the Chapter to have Elected a Pro- feffed Jefuit, they could not have refufed to choofe him, nor yet the Bifhops to Confecrate him ( if he would havereceiv- -..,.,.,..... ed Chap. XX. Of the Conge de E/lire. 247 ■ Chap. XX. Of the Conge de EJlire. 249 are made Bifhops, and fit in the Houfe of Lords, neither will it totally take away that, for if the Court prefer Men of their own Principles, they will Vote on that fide, tho' they cannot obtain an higher ftation in the Church by it ; And befides the Court may find out other means of gratifying 'em by Commendams or other- wife. In the Fourth place we have two Archbifhopricks in this Kingdom, and it is not convenient that a Man fhould be appointed to govern a Province before he has known how to prefide over a Diocefs ; and if a Claufe be left to allow fuch a Tranflation, it will quite overthrow all the Benefit propofed by fuch an Act. And in the laft place it may put fuch Bifhops whofe Revenues are but fmall upon lit- tle mean fhifts unbecoming their Fun£ti- on, when they fee all hopes of having their maintenance augmented,taken from ? em. So that upon a due consideration of this matter, I cannot approve of fuch a Defign. Another expedient I have heard of is, that when any Bifhoprick is vacant, the Diocefan Clergy fhould prefent Nine Perfons to the Chapter, and that thefe fhould by them be reduced to Three, out of which the King fhould nominate One. But this, in my Opinion, comes not near enough 2 $o Of the Conge de EJlire, Chap. XX> enough to the Primitive manner of Ele- ftions, in which as I have fhewed, the Bifhops had always a moft eminent fhare, neither were the People fhut out. And if a- ny alteration be made, 'tis certainly beft that it fhould be reduced as near as may be to the primitive form, as much as our pre- lent conftitution may conveniently bear. That therefore which I would pro- pofe upon this occafion is, That upon the vacancy of a Bifhoprick, the Convocation fhould meet and choofe Eight Perfons, that is the upper Houfe of Convocation Four, and the lower Houfe the fame number, thefe fhould be prefented to the Parliament. The upper Houfe fhould prefent their Four to the Lords, and the lower Houfe to the Commons. Of thefe the Lords fhould prefent Two, and the Commons Two to the King, out of which Four His Majefty fhould nomi- nate one. Thus both the Clergy and the People, and the King too, would have a fliare in all Elections of Bifhops : There will be no danger of having undeferving Perfons preferred to fo high a ftation : And Bifhops, or thofe that hope to be fuch, will be encouraged to obtain the Favour of their Country, by feeking the true Welfare both of Church and ftate, fince there will be no other means of -their arriving to Honour. CHAP. 251 CHAP. XXI. Of the Inferiour Orders of the Clergy not ret dined in the Church of England. BEfore I conclude this Difcourfe it will not, I fuppofe, be unaccept- able tofpeak fomething of fome Inferi- our Orders of the Secular Clergy which have been of ancient Inftkution, and and are ftill retained in the Church of Rome but not with us. l Thefe are cal- , D -^ % 2liCtU led Subdeacons,Acoljths } Exorcifts, Readers, Pfalmifis or Singers and Doorkeepers. They were numbered among the Clergy very early as appears from the 2 Apoftolical - q», 2, Canons : The five firft were reckoned asfuchby Saint 3 Cyprian, which fhews ? Ep. 32. 42. that there were fuch in his time, which " 6 - &c - was about the middle of the Third Century. But they were not efteem- ed to be in holy Orders, as appears from 4 Gratian, ' Let no one be Ordained a 4 Dl pr, e . r . >. Bifhop, but one who is found to live ' Religioufly ,being in Holy Orders : We 6 call only the Deaconfhip and Prieft- * hood Holy Orders. And it is mani- feft from the ■> Apoftolical Canons that - thefe Inferiour Clerks, tho' they w r ere in fome Re fpects efteemed to be of the Clergy, 42.43. 252 Of the Infer four Orders of Chap. XXI. Clergy, (becaufe they were Servants in the Church, and Maintained out of its Revenues , and received that which was called Ordination, but was indeed but a Defignation to a particular Office in the Church, for they had no Impofi- tion of Hands) yet they were looked up- on in Reality to be but Lay-men, and w 7 ere punifhed as Lay-men not by *2tertf.(7r*g. Deposition, but Segregation. 6 But af- lib. i«M*9.terwards Subdeacons alfo were judged to be in in Holy Orders. The feveral Offices of thefe feveral Orders are fet 7 x>//?.2i.ci.down by 7 Ifidore. f.u^ 25 ' Subdeacons are fo called becaufe they are to affift the Deacons and be Obedient to them : They are to gather the Oblati- ons of the Faithful in the Churchof God, and to bring them to the Deacons to be placed upon the Altar : To bring like- wife the Cup and Paten to 'em to be placed there alfo : To hold a Bafon of Water and Towel to the Bifhops Priefts and Deacons when they wafh their Hands before the Altar. The Reader is to Read to the People out of the Holy Scriptures, and to Preach to the People teaching 'em what they are to follow. The Chap* XXI. the Clergy not retained &c. 253 The Acolyths are to light Candles and hold 'em whilft the Gofpel is Reading and the Lords Supper Adminiftring. To the Exorcifi it belongs to lay Hands on the Energumens or Perfons poffefled, and Catechumens who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptifm. For two or three Centuries in the Primitive Church God was pleafed to continue the Gift of Miracles to fome Perfons, and thofe whofe Gift it was to caft out De- vils were called Exorcijls. Afterwards this Name was continued to thofe who might more properly be called Catechifts, as we may learn from 8 Balfamon ; their * Mnox. Con- Office being to Catechize Infidels, to" 7, Laod * teach and inftruft them in the firft Prin- Can ' ^ ciples of Chriftianity,thereby to Exorcize or caft out the Spirit of Infidelity, Which becaufe fome undertook to do without being thereunto appointed by the Bifhop, the Council of Laodicea A. D. 370. made a Decree that ' No perfon fhould Exer- ' cize in the Church or any private Houfe c without a Licenfe from the Bifhop. Whereas if this had continued 'till that Time to have been an efpecial Miracu- lous Gift of God to caft out Devils, I cannot See why the Council fhould ob- lige one endued with this Gift to be ap- pointed by the Bifhop. for he that could fhew 2 54 Of *t je tnferiour Orders of Chap XXL fhew his Commiffion from Heaven by Working Miracles certainly needed no new Commiffion from Man for that Purpofe. But if we underftand Exorcizing to be Catechizing Infidels, then it is very reafonable that the Per- fon who undertakes this Work fhould be firft examined and Licenfed thereunto by the Bifhop : Qtherwife Ignorant and Illiterate Perfons might pretend to teach Others what they did not under- ftand themfelves, and thereby expofe the Church of God to Unbelievers in- ftead of Converting them to it. How- ever theChurch of Rome^who has not yet, as flie pretends, loft the Gift of Miracles, ftill continues this Order of Exorcifts to caftout Devils, for which end thofe who are there appointed to this Office learn abundance of Exorcifms or Conjuring Words and Tricks 'till they become per- feft Matters of them. The Ffdmift ok. Singer was to Sing Pfalms and Hymns at proper Times du- ring the Celebration of Divine Service. Amongft thefe there is the Precentor who begins the Tuneand Sings the firft Verfe, The Succentor who follows and Sings the fecond, and the Concent or who joyns in the Harmony and Sings with one of them. The Chap. XXI. the Clergy not retained, &c. 255 The Office of the Door-keeper was to keep the Keys of the Church, and to take Care of all things left in it : To keep the Door, opening it to the Faithful, and fliutting it againft Infidels and ex- communicated Perfons. 9 The Manner of Ordaining thefe fe-*.?f^ veral Officers is fet down by Gratian, ' from the Canons of the Fourth Council of Carthage A.D 398. The Subdeacon when lue is Ordained receives no Impofition of Hands, but the Bifhop gives him an empty Paten and an empty Cup, and he receives from the Archdeacon a Pitcher of Water with a Bafon and Towel. The Acolyth is to be taught by the Bi- fhop, after what manner he is to behave himfelf in his Office, and he is to receive from the Archdeacon a Candleftick with a Wax candle, that he may know it is his Bufinefs to light the Wax-candles in his Church : He is alfo to receive aa empty Flagon to provide Wine for the Euchariftof Chrift's Blood. The ExorciH is to receive from the Bi- fhop a Book wherein the Exorcifms are written. The Bifhop faying to him, Take and commit thefe to Memory, and have thou Power to lay Hands on Energumens or Perfons pojfejfed, whether they be baptized, or 2 $ 6 Of the Infer iour Orders of Chap. XXI. ^Catechumens preparing to be bap- tized, When a Reader is to be ordained, the Bifhop makes a fhort Difcourfe concern- ing him to the People, declaring his Faith, his Life and his Underftanding : After tfyis in the Prefence of the People he delivers to him the Book out of which he is to read, faying to him, Take this^ and be a Reader of the Word of God, and thou jhalt have , if thou faithfully , and ufe- fully perform thy Duty, a Portion with thofe who mmifier the Word of God. The PfalmiH or Singer may execute his Office without any Licenfe from the Bifhop, only by Command from the Prieft, faying to him^ See that what you fing with your Mouth, you believe with your He art, and what you believe with your Hearty you approve by your Works, The Door-keeper after he has been in- ftrufted by the Archdeacon how he ought to behave himfelf in the Houfe of God, 'the Bifhop at the Suggeftion of the Archdeacon {hall take the Keys from the Altar and deliver them to him, fay- ing, Behave your felf fo as one that muji give an Account to God of the things locked up with thefe K^ys* We Chap. XXL The Clergy not Retained. 257 We have not retained any of thefe Or- ders in the Church of Ewlmd. both be- caufe we have no ground to derive them from the institution of Chrift, or his A- poftles, as we have for the Three Orders which we Retain ; and alfo becaufe the Offices which they performed may be, and are as well performed by other Pef- fons, and our Church Revenues will not maintain unneceffary attendants at the Altar. In the Cathedral Churches the Offices of the Subdeacons, Acoljths^ Pfalm- ijts and Doorkeepers , are performed by the Singing-men , Vergers &c. And in the ParHh Churches by Parifh Clerfo and Sextons. The Readers part i^ performed by Priefls or Deacons, and fo is the Exorcijh with relation to Catechifing : And for cafting out Devils, I know none among us pretend to be fpe- cially vefted with fuch a Power. There was alfo an Order of Wo- men in the Primitive Church, called Dea- coneffes , fpokert of by ™ Sc. Paul, and v£ ^ic. % fuch a one was J Phabe in the Church ^ oiCenchrea. 2 Their Bufinefs was to at- * Rom. 16. 1. tend and wait upon the Bifrops, Priefts )^f%% and Deacons in the feveral Churches, to Epipb. n*r. wafh the Church Linen, and perform j^^Jj^, fuch other Offices as properly belong to Women, and to prevent Scandal wereal- S ways 258 the Clergy not Retained, &c. Chap. XXL ways chofen out of Aged Widows. They were to affift at the Baptifms of Wo- men, efpecially to prepare new Con- verts of that Sex, for the Reception of. that Sacrament, when frequent Vifits from a Prieft or Deacon upon that occa- fion might give fome caule of Offence. ^ They werealfoas NurfestothePoorand Impotent, which were maintained by the jPublick Alms of the Church. They re- ceived no imposition of Hands, and were efteemed altogether Lay-perfons, as ap- can. 19. pears from the 5 Council of Nice: And being no more than a prudential In- stitution for thofe firft ages of the Church, might be laid afide in after times as they are at prefent. THE 259 The Conchtfion. THus have I endeavoured without Prejudice or Partiality to give the beft Account I am at prefent able to do concerning both the Government and Governours of the Church, both as they were anciently in the Primitive Church, and as they are at this Day mEngknU.hxA have,I truft,in fomeMeafure proved that the Government of the Church oiEngland is Modelled as near as may be to that of the Apoftles; and that there are no Al- terations made from the Primitive Con- ftitution but what the different State of the Church has made neceflary.. Indeed there are two Praftices I have found Fault with, and I think not without fome Caufe. One is the laying afide the Ufe of Rural Deans and of Bifhops Suf- fragan, and appointing of Lay-Chan- cellors with fo great a Share of the Epif- copal Authority, but thefe are not proper- ly Faults in our Conftitution but in our Church Governours themfelves, for both our Laws and Canons allow thefe to be otherwife. The other is in the Matter of Nomination to Bifhopricks, but this is 260 The Conclufton, is no morethanaRiaht of Patronage, it may be a little extended beyond the juft Bounds, becaufe the Clerks Prefented by all Patrons ought to be tried and exami- ned, which is not allowed here, which tho' it may poffibly be an Abufe yet it fliakes not the Fundamentals of Church Government, and therefore is no great Deviation from the Primitive Conftitu- tion of the Church, and ought to be Suhmitted to with Patience, neither fhould the Peace of the Church or State be difquieted to avoid the Inconveni- ences which may arife from it. For my own Part I have always, ever fince I underftood the Conftitution of our Church, been extremely pleafed wkh its whole Government as it is now by Law Eftablifhed , and did all our Mi- nifters of every Order, whether Biihops, Priefts or Deacons,perfor m their Duty ac- cording as our prefent Laws and Canons require, this would be the moll effectual Means to heal our Divifions, and to bring allPerfons into the Unity of the Church. Which God grant we may all do for. Je- fm Chrifts fake, To whom with the father and Holy Ghoji three Perfons and One God 7 he all Honour and Glory for ever. Amen. r i n i s. ^