RELIGION. 



or in ordering its riles and articles of f.'iUli, that it was done 

 not only without, but in adual oppofition to them. Hence 

 they conclude, that the ^church of England is, in reality, a 

 parhamcntary church ; that it is not, properly, an ally, as 

 I'ome have afl'erted, but a mere creature of the ilate. It 

 depends entirely upon the ads and authority <)f parliament 

 for its very cffence and frame. The qualifications of its 

 miftifters, their power to ofHciate, the manner in which they 

 are to adminillcr the facraments, are all limited and pre- 

 fcribed by authority of parliament ; and this authority, 

 which at llrft made, can alone alter and new-maks it ; can 

 abolifh, or add to its articles or rites, according to its plea- 

 fure, even though the whole body of bifliops and clergy 

 ever fo much diilike or proteit carneiUy againd it. 



If it be alked, how came the civil magiftrate to pofTefs the 

 authority which hcexercifes in the church of Chriil ? The 

 objeftors to eftablilhments reply, that the fubjedtion to 

 higher powers, and obedience to magiftrates, wliich the 

 fcriptures enjoin on Chrillians, relates only to civil, and not 

 at all to religious matters, for this obvious reafon, that the 

 magiftrate was at that time every where Pagan. They fay, 

 that ChrilUanity is fo far from enjoining, that it aftually for- 

 bids, obedience to civil governors in things of a religious 

 nature. It commands us " to call no man upon earth father 

 or matter" (Matt, xxiii. 8, 9.), i. e. to acknowledge no au- 

 thority or jurifdidtion of any in matters of religion, but to 

 remember, that " one, one only is our mailer" and lawgiver, 

 even Chrift, and that all Chrillians are brethren : and that, 

 though " the princes of the Gentiles exercife dominion over 

 them, and they who arc great exercife authority upon them, 

 yet it (hall not," fays our Lord, " be fo amongit you." 

 (Matt. XX. 25.) Chrift's kingdom is not of this world, and 

 of courfe he is the fole lawgiver, judge, and fovereign in 

 religious matters. (See Matt, xxiii. 8. xxviii. 18, 19. 

 I Cor. viii. 6. Ephef. i. 22.) In the church of Chrift, it 

 is faid, all authority and jurifdi&ion are vefted originally in 

 him, and flow from him, nor can any one lawfully exercife 

 them without a commiflion from him ; but in the church of 

 England, the king, or queen, is " fupreme head," pofl't-ning 

 " all power to exercife all manner of ecclefiaftical jurifdic- 

 tion, and archbiftiops, bifhops, archdeacons, and other ec- 

 clefiaftical perfons, have no manner of jurifdidion ecclefiaf- 

 tical, but by and under the king's majetty, who hath full 

 power and authority to hear and determine all manner of 

 caufes ecclefiaftical ; and to reform and corre£l all vice, 

 fin, errors, herefies, enormities, abufes whatfoever, which 

 by any manner of fpiritual authority or jurifdidion, ought, 

 or may be lawfully reformed." (26 Hen. VIII. cap. i. 

 37 Hen. VIII. cap. 17. I Ehz. cap. I.) At the firft 

 eftabliftiment of this church under Henry VIII. and Ed- 

 ward VI. all the biftiops took out commiflions from the 

 crown, for the exercifing of their fpiritual jurifdiftion in 

 thefe kingdoms, during the king's pleafure only ; " and in 

 their commiflions acknowledge all forts of jurifdidion, as 

 well ecclefiaftical as civil, to have flowed originally from tlie 

 regal power, as from a fupreme head, and a fountain and 

 fpringof all magiftracy within his own kingdom." Burnet's 

 Hiil. Reform, part ii. Col. p. 92. 



Yea, even the power of ordination itfelf, which is reckon- 

 ed a peculiar of the epifcopal office, tlie firft reformers and 

 founders of this church derived from the king, and exercifed 

 only as by authority from him, and during his pleafure. 

 " Thus Cranmcr, archbiftiop of Canterbury, Bonner, bifiiop 

 of London, &c. took out commiflions from the crown, im- 

 porting, that becaufe the vicegerent (Cromwell, a lay per- 

 fon) could not perfonally attend the charge in all parts of 

 jhe kingdom, the king authorifes the biftiop, in his, (the 



king's or perhaps the vicegerent's) Head to ordain, within 

 his diocefe, fucJi as he judged worthy of holy orders ; to 

 collate to benefices ; to give inftitution ; and to execute all 

 otlier parts of the epifcopal authority ; and thib during the 

 Ijng's pleafure only." 



In confequence of tliis fupremacy, the king or queen of 

 this church hath power to excommunicate from, or to re- 

 admit into it, independent of, yea, in direct oppofition to, 

 all its bidiops and clergy. The king or queen revoke, if 

 they pleate, any .fpiritual cenlures of the bifhops or arch- 

 bifliops ; yea, can fufpend, deprive, or even excommunicate, 

 themfelves ; or can, by their proclamation only, without the 

 Icaft confeflion, liumilialion, or fatisfaftion for their oflence, 

 pardon and reftore excommunicated perfons, the vileft of- 

 fenders, to the cliurch's bofom again. 



Yea, furtlier, they have power to forbid all preaching for 

 a time ; as did king Henry VIII. king Edward VI. queen 

 Mary, and queen Elizabeth; to limit, inftruft, and pre- 

 fcribe to the clergy what they fhall, and w hat they (hall not 

 preach ; as did queen Elizabeth, king James I. king 

 Charles I. king William, &c. Finally, to the king or 

 queen only does it pertain to declare what is herefy, and 

 authoritatively to pronounce what doftrines and tenets arc, 

 and what are not, to be cenfured as fuch : nor have all the 

 biftiops and clergy, aflembled in convocation, the leaft au- 

 thority to cenfure any tenet as heretical, if the prince on the 

 throne refufe his confent. 



Accordingly, the objeftors to religious cftablifhmcnts al- 

 lege, that in Clu-ift's church, himfelf is the only fovereign 

 and head ; he only hath power to decree ceremonies and rjtes, 

 to fix terms of communion and authority in points of faith ; 

 nor hath any earthly prince power to make laws in his king- 

 dom, which fhall bind the confcience of his fubjefts ; or fo- 

 vercignly to diftate to his fervants and minifters what they 

 fiiall believe, and what they ihall preach. Yea, his fubjedls are 

 exprefsly commanded and charged to receive nothing as doc- 

 trine or parts of religion, which are only commandments of 

 men. 



But in the church of England there is another fovereign, 

 lawgiver, fupreme head, befides Jefus Chrift ; an authority 

 which commands things which Chrift never commanded, 

 which teaches dottrines he never taught, which enjoins terms 

 of communion, and rites of religious worfhip, which Chrift 

 never enjoined. Hence they conclude, that thefe two churches 

 are two diftinft and quite different focieties, framed after dif- 

 ferent models, confifting of different members, and governed 

 by different officers, ftatutes, and laws. Whilft the objeftors 

 to eftabhfhcd forms of worfhip efteem and reverence the 

 great number of illuftrious and excellent perfons, both cler- 

 gy and laity, of which the church of England can boaft, 

 they fuggeft, that the prefent eftablilhed forms were drawn 

 up when this kingdom juft emerged out of Popifh darknefs ; 

 that in drawing them up fpecial regard was had to the 

 weaknefs of the people at that time, who could not be all at 

 once entirely brought off from the old ceremonies and forms ; 

 and that there are ieveral parts of our liturgy and ecclefiafti- 

 cal conflitution, which even many of our bifhops and clergy 

 wifli to fee altered. Schemes have been propofed, and at- 

 tempts have been made for omitting what is ofTenfive, for 

 correcting what is eafily capable of amendment, and for ac- 

 commodating the dotlrine and forms of the eftabfifhed 

 church, to the prefent advanced flate of knowledge, and to 

 the correfponding liberality of the modern profeffors of re- 

 ligion, botli in and out of the church ; but they have hither- 

 to been unavailing : and it has been tliought, that an ejcclu^. 

 five eftablifliment, appropriating to itfelf diftinguiflied ho- 

 nours and benefits cf a Iccular nature, and expofing thofe 



whom 



