EVEN Aaron himself, (though a High-Priest of God's own Appointment) when Mofes, the Civil Magiftrate, was but a little while abfent, to receive the Almighty's Commands, cheated the Ifraelites of their Ear-rings, melted them into a Golden Calf, and encouraged the Dupes to fay, Thefe were the Gods which brought them out of the Land of Egypt. He built an Altar before his Idol, proclaimed a Faft, and then made ufe of all this Deceit to extort from that ftupid and fuperftitious People, Burnt-Offerings and PeaceOfferings. This provoked Almighty God to that degree, that his Wrath was kindled against the whole Nation, and he was inclined to confume all, till Mofes, the Lay-Sovereign, turned his fierce Wrath by his Prayers, and by remembring him of the Oath he fware to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, namely, that he would multiply their Seed like the Stars in Heaven, &c. And then it is true, that the Lord repented of the Evil which he thought to do unto them: But no Thanks to the Prieft, who had drawn them into this Scrape. Exod. Chap. xxxii.

T.

NU M

NUMBER XIV.

Wednesday, April 20. 1720.

The Clergy proved to be Creatures of the Civil Power, by the Canons, and their own public Acts.

IN

N my laft Difcourfe, I have fhewn what is meant by the Supremacy of the Crown of England; by virtue of which, our Kings fometimes with, and fometimes without their Parliaments, have governed and modelled the Ecclefiaftical State, ever fince the Reformation. Bifhops, as well as inferior Clergymen, have been often fufpended and deprived by the King's Authority; and, in the Inftance of Archbishop Abbot, for his Pleafure. The Popish Bifhops were all deprived by Queen Elizabeth, and fome Thoufands of the Parochial Clergy were ejected by the Act of Uniformity; and many alfo of all Orders were deprived at the Revolution.

I SHALL now proceed to fhew what have been the Opinions and Practice of the whole Body of Ecclefiafticks, fince the making of thefe Laws; in doing which, I fhall take notice only of their

public

public and authentic Acts: For as to the Whimfies of private Doctors, I think them of fo little Weight, that I fhall be ashamed to quote them on either fide of the Question.

UPON the Clergy's owning the King Head of the Church at the Reformation, all the Bifhops took out Commiffions for the exercifing their Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction; which were renewed again upon his Son's coming to the Throne. In thefe Commiffions, all Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction is owned to proceed from the Crown, as from a fupreme Head, and Fountain, and Spring of all Magiftracy in the Kingdom; and they acknowledge, that they executed it formerly only ex precario, and that now with grateful Minds they accepted the Favour from the King's Liberality and Indulgence; and would be always ready to yield it up again, when his Majefty pleased to require it.

THESE Commiffions recited, amongst other Particulars of Spiritual Power, That of Ordaining Prefbyters, and of Ecclefiaftical Correction.

THE 2d Canon excommunicates every one who fhall endeavour to hurt or extenuate the King's Authority in Ecclefiaftical Cafes, as it is fettled by the Laws of the Kingdom; and declares he fhall not be restored till he has publicly recanted fuch impious Errors.

The 37th Canon obliges all Perfons, to their utmoft, to keep and obferve all and every one of the Statutes and Laws made for reftoring to the Crown, the antient Jurifdiction it had over the Ecclefiaftical State.

THE 12th of King James's Canons declares, That whoever shall affirm, that it is lawful for the Order either of Minifters or Laics to make Canons, Decrees, or Conftitutions in Ecclefiafti

cal

cal Matters, without the King's Authority, and submits himself to be governed by them, is, ipfo facto, excommunicated, and is not to be abfolved before he has publicly repented and renounced thefe Anabaptiftical Errors.

ARCHBISHOP Bancroft, when, at the Head of all the Bishops in England, he delivered Articles to King James against the Secular Courts, for encroaching upon the Ecclefiaftical, owns, that all Jurifdictions, Ecclefiaftical as well as Civil, are annexed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm, as may be read more at large in the Lord Coke's Third Inftitute; which I would recommend to the Perufal of every one, as a Specimen of the Difference between Ecclefiaftics and Laymen..

I SHALL think it neceffary only here to add, that the Clergy have never prefumed, by any public Act, directly to controvert this Prerogative, or indeed even to nibble at it, unlefs in one Inftance during the laft Reign; which the Queen refented highly, and let the Convocation know, by a Letter to the Archbishop, that he was refolved to maintain her Supremacy, as a Fundamental Part of the Conftitution of the Church of England.

THIS is the Supremacy of the Crown; these are the genuine Principles of the Church of England; which whoever denies, may be a Papist, a Prefbyterian, a Muggletonian, a Fifth-Monarchy Man, or any thing elfe, befides a Member of our' Communion. This Doctrine, and these Opinions, have been acknowledged and fworn to by every Ecclefiaftic fince the Reformation; and we daily fee they are All ready to fwear them over again upon any fresh Motives of Advantage; and fure no one will fuggeft, that the Whole Clergy of England have lived in the State of Perjury for

near

hear Two hundred Years: I am fure, if this be the Cafe, it is not their Intereft to let us know it, fince their Authority must be of very little Weight in any thing else.

WE have it here upon Oath, that all Jurifdiction, Power and Authority, Spiritual or Ecclefiaftical, of what Kind or Sort foever it be, does flow from, and is derived from, the King's Majefty; and I readily allow them to have all the reft by Divine Right. They have been always very happy at Distinctions and Difcoveries; and therefore if they can find out any Power or Authority, which is of no Kind or Sort whatsoever, I think they ought to have it for their Pains ; I wifh them much Joy with it; and fhall own it always to be Sacrilege in any one who fhall attempt to take it from them: But, if there be any fuch Thing, it is plain, that it belongs to them as Governors of the Invifible Church, and is of a Nature which we know nothing of...

FOR it is certain, that Archbishops and Bifhops are Creatures of the Civil Power, and derive their Being and Existence from it. They are chofen by the Direction of one Act of Parlia ment, and ordained and confecrated according to a Model prescribed by another; in which those who officiate, act only minifterially; and all other Methods of chufing them which the Clergy can devife, are declared void and ineffectual, and will not convey any Spiritual Power at all: Nor, I dare fay, will any Clergyman in England pay Submiffion to fuch a Choice, if he do not like the Man; nor if he do, provided he thinks, that he fhall lofe any thing by it. If the Bifhops have no Power but what they derive from the Crown, they can convey none but of the fame fort to the Inferior Clergy.

I