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stand in need of his advice, but also of his activity, and a real exertion of his power for our protection.

In this forlorn, unfriended, and unlucky fituation, we must apply to the GREAT SHEPHERD for the divine affiftance; and in our earthly measures chiefly look to find our fafety and fuccefs in union. For confederacy gives ftrength and boldness against an enemy, affords that encouragement from our companions, which folitary heroifm cannot fupply; and moreover adminifters a variety of counsel, for the fupport of the common caufe, which we are to give and take without ceremony, when there comes to be fuch a preffing occafion. This immediate neceffity for fome expedient was what prompted me, in my last * pamphlet to obferve, "That the Church muft certainly, from its original conftitution, have been invested with powers to defend itfelf against any common adverfary, (at least against those pretending to be of its own communion;) because if it have not authority fufficient to keep its doctrines uniform, and preserve its internal peace, the established religion would be left more defenceless than any of our tolerated focieties, who have all of them a power to refrain, or feparate from them rebellious members; for otherwife, their communities could not fubfift : therefore, I fay, as the Established Church requires in this particular as high a degree of the protection of the ftate as is enjoyed by Diffenters; an authority of this fort must be somewhere lodg'd in our Church-fyftem; and fince, many of them to whom it most properly belongs to make this enquiry, have been unwilling to exert themselves, I expreffed my wishes that fome of the gentlemen of the law, well affected to the establishment, or fome prieft of eminence, who had leifure and fortune, would have been pleased to take into confideration, and to communicate, what he thought the proper conftitutional means for fuppreffing this diforder in the church, which otherwife may foon effect its downfal."

BUT as it does not appear fince the publication of this, that any gentlemen have been prevailed upon to give us their advice; the tafk, I was willing to have fhifted off, reverts unexpectedly to myself, and obliges me, fince neceflity fo requires, to contribute what little information I am able, till better lights fhall interpofe, and more effectually difpel our fears and difficulties.

Dicam equidem, quoniam inftitui, petamque à vobis ne has meas ineptias efferatis, quanquam moderabor ipfe, ne ut quidam magister atque artifex, fed quafi unus è togatorum numero, atque ex ufu† ecclefiaftico homo mediocris, neque omnino rudis videar non ipfe aliquid à me prompfiffe, fed fortuito in veftrum fermonem incidiffe.

Now then to the question,-What are the propereft CONSTITUTIONAL means for fuppreffing the diforders in the Church, oc

Dr. FREE's Remarks upon Mr. Jones's Letters, p. 53. Tull. De. Oratore, Lib. I.

cafioned

+ Forens.

cafioned by the Methodists? I anfwer, that the first and principal, the most proper and true conftitution,, would be the meeting of the CONVOCATION..

THIS is conftitutional, in whatever sense we understand the word, whether as refpecting the customs and government of the Church: itself, that is, the intrinfic fabrick of ecclefiaftical policy, as it ftood at first unmixed, and independent of any alliance; or fecondly, as it has been fince connected, incorporated, and co-established with any ftate, and most particularly with the state of England.

FOR the use of fuch Affemblies belongs to the Church in general: they have been coeval with it from its beginning; are effential to its conftitution, if it exist at all, and therefore these privileges have always been indulged to it in fome degree, more or lefs, wherever it has been fortunate enough to obtain establishment or toleration. Thefe obfervations then must put us in mind, that the divine authority of these affemblies is more antient than their civil, and bears date from their first inftitu-tion in the time of the Apostles, who convened them by virtue of the powers committed to them by JESUS CHRIST.

THE first, which we read of, is the Council of Jerufalem, described in the Acts of the Apostles.. It appears, by the defcription, to have been of the very fame form with the Convocation in the Church of England, confifting of the two fuperior orders, the Apoftles there mentioned, correfponding to their fucceffors the Bishops; and the Elders, to our Priests or Priesthood, Judas and Silas legates to the Gentile Chriftians, πpоquται oves feein to have been prolocutors; but, as they are called nyuevo they were probably of the upper House.

IN the Epiftle to the Galatians, St. Paul alfo feems to give a detail of this, or of another council, where the matter in controverfy was nearly the fame: it happened, because of falie brethren unawares brought in: who, he fays, came in privily to fpy out our liberty, which we have in CHRIST, that they might bring us into bondage. He relates, who were the pillars or prefidents of the council; who the affeffors; mentions fome that opposed them, to whom he would not give place by subjection, no not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue to you. He tells us, these were they, who seemed to be fomething; what they really were, he does not discover; obferving that it was no great matter, as God accepteth no man's perfon, and as thefe people who seemed to be fomewhat, when the conference was opened, did not think proper to oppofe him.

It is worthy obfervation here, that by the Apostles account, the cause of thefe ecclefiaftical councils or meetings was, that the truth in CHRIST might continue to pofterity, and indeed

confidering the berefies predicted to follow, the grievous wolves that were to make havock of the flock, the ignorance of the filly multitude, running giddily from one extreme to another, and often growing refractory, unless reduced to order, and reAtrained by the wisdom and authority of such assemblies; I say, these things confidered, it was almoft impoffible, that the truthin CHRIST fhould for any long time together subsist without them.

AND fo fenfible of this are all people, of all denominations of Christians, that with the view of maintaining, what each of thefe contending parties take to be the truth in CHRIST, they not only admit of these affemblies, where they have the liberty allowed; but to the utmost of their powers fupport them.

*

WHEREFORE a very eminent writer of our Church, who has difplayed much learning and eloquence in treating upon this fubject, very juftly observes, "That fo far are the Clergy of England from being unreasonable and fingular in their defire of fuch meetings, that there is no part of the Reformed Church besides, that does not duly hold them; they are constantly kept up in the United Provinces; and even in France they were never denied the Proteftants in the time of Lewis XIV, fo long as the use of their religion was allowed them; these assemblies having been always esteemed by all Christians, as the best and most proper means for the prefervation of unity, and the fuppression of errors and diforders in the Church of God.

*

To draw nearer home, what we plead for has been allowed the prefent Scotch Kirk; nay, and fomething more than we plead for. I hope it will not be thought foreign to my subject, if I ftop to give some short account of it. Their affembly has fat often fince the Revolution, and done business with a witness: if a thorough purging of churches and universities; if exercifing their ecclefiaftical jurifdiction, over the whole kingdom (as well over thofe, who renounced their government, as thofe who owned it) be doing bufinefs; if to excommunicate, 'fufpend. and deprive at pleafure; if to be patrons general of all the livings of the kingdom, and to induct, as well as eject, what perfons they thought fit; if by an act of theirs (for fo the stile runs) to appoint national fafts, and to fettle general rulers for Church-difcipline and government, without fo much as asking leave of the civil power, be doing bufinefs; then I fay, the Scotch affembly have within these ten years laft paft effectually done it. They have acted up to the utmost extent of their divine charter of privileges, and have scarce been withstood in any one branch of it: for though the King's commiffioner has fat with them, yet has he not been allowed either to interpofe in their debates, or to have a negative upon their refòlutions: No, nor so much as to confirm them. And when he pretended to adjourn or diffolve the fynod, they protested against it; and

The Rights, &c. of an English Convocation.

ap-.

appointed a new meeting without any regard to his authority: and in the intervals of their feffions, they have had a standing committee of their members, who have been, as it were, a perpetual affembly. Thefe are the high favours and indulgences, that have, with a liberal hand, been bestowed on our neighbours in Scotland.

AND the fame author obferves, that thofe of the congregational way here at home, have not wanted the indulgence of a. convocation, as regular and full, though not fo open as may be defired by the members of the Church of England.

Nay, the privilege we claim is not. denied to any the most wild and extravagant fects among us. fects among us. The Quakers have their annual meetings for ecclefiaftical affairs: they are known to have, and are allowed to hold them.". And I may add, that, by their own accounts, the fame liberties are taken by the Methodists.

SHALL fchifm and enthufiafm enjoy their confultations for the propagation of their intereft, and for the deftruction of the Church? and fhall an apoftolic and established Church, where its prefervation requires this immunity, be reftrained; be forced to want it? God forbid!

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*

for,

I believe we shall not, if we properly apply for relief; the two Houses of Convocation are as much a part of the English conftitution as the two Houfes of Parliament: and therefore neither the one nor the other can be totally difufed. It has antiently been an objection to the conduct of one of our Princes, that they laid aside the use of the Convocation; to others, that they laid a fide the ufe of Parliaments. The afore-mentioned writer affigns, as a reafon for this, that the cafe is the fame in our Church affemblies, as in our great lay conventions; the affembling of which is not only a part of the prince's prerogative, but of the fubject's right; "That intermiffions must not be fuppofed to take away the right of meeting, except they are withal fuppofed to take away the right of convening fo that the provincial inferiors may well demand to be affembled, as foon. as thofe reafons impedient shall cease, and much more, when. Aronger reasons fhall arife on the other fide, fuch as would juftify the Clergy's defire of an extraordinary convention, if they had not an ordinary one to claim.”

The remainder to be printed in our next.

*William Rufus.

LONDON: Printed for J. SCOTT at the Black Swan in Pater-nofter-Row where Letters directed to the Monitor or British Freeholder

(POST paid) will be received for the Author.

And Sold by all Eookfellers, News-Carriers, and Hawkers in Great-Britai and Ireland.

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