or from the Roman Pontif and then it will inevitably follow that his Majesty in the first place is to be consulted whose Mind in this matter is sufficiently known and it 's as much the Duty of the Metropolitan to consult and obey the King the Supreme Ordinary of this National Church as it can be for a single Bishop to regard his Metropolitan for which Reason we think it a Presumption very near to what is unpardonable in the Inferior Clergy to dispute what is agreeable to the Sense both of their Ordinary and Supreme Ordinary And as for the Talk of Schism as if these who are for Addressing must needs be Schismatics we only say that making Differences about matters of this nature to be Schismatical will tempt thoughtful Men to conclude that the Outcries of Schism against the Non-conformists have been grounded on as little Reason and with as little Justice The PAPER FOURTHLY It will forfeit our Reputation with the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of our Communion and may tempt them to Disgust us for our rash Compliance with suspected Artifices which may rise hereafter against us to our Own and the Church's Prejudice and to waver in the Stedfastness of their own Profession when they see us owning the Exercise of our Established Religion to be so precarious ANSWER Above Twenty Years together without any Regard to the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty our Clergy have been publishing to the World that the King can do greater things than are done in his Declaration But now the Scene is alter'd and they are become more concern'd to maintain their Reputation even with the Commonalty than with the King Ay they Insinuate as if the Nobility and Gentry had taken up their Religion on such a Foundation as would be shaken by an Address and do moreover suggest as if the Nobility and Gentry are as little affected with his Majesties Grace as themselves The PAPER May it not therefore be expedient humbly to Remonstrat our Scruples in this Affair to our Diocesan and beseech him not to require our Act without consulting us in a thing of so Public and National Concernment wherein we conceive our selves oblidg'd to proceed upon mature Deliberation and united Measures which under God and the King are like to be our greatest Safeguard ANSWER Their Duty is to consider whether they are more oblig'd to their Metropolitan than to their Diocesan If they ought to regard their Diocesan most it 's their Duty to submit unto his Sense of things and not revive the old way of Remonstrating thus but if they judge themselves bound to regard their Metropolitan more than their Diocesan we are sure that their Obligation to the King the Supreme Ordinary of the Church of England is much greater and that they ought not to bring what he approves of under debate especially considering the Transcendency of His Majesty's Favor towards them and that such Discoveries of Ingratitude may justly provoke the King to exercise His Just Prerogatives in Matters Ecclesiastical and humble them In a word we would if possible inculcate this on your Thoughts That our Church of England Lawyers have resolutely affirm'd the King to be Supreme Ordinary and by the ancient Laws of this Realm may without any Act of Parliament make Ordinances and Institutions for the Goverment of the Clergy and may deprive them if they obey not Moor 755. C. 1043. Cro. Trin. 2 Jac. 37. Cawley 1 Eliz. c. 1. And when the Prince zealously espous'd our Churches Quarrel 't was deem'd by our Clergy to be almost Treason to suggest the contrary And if you consult our Histories you ll see that Queen Elizabeth in favor of our Clergy did many a time exercise this Power on her entring the Throne she sent out a Proclamation That no Man of what Perswasion soever he was in the Points of Religion should be suffered to Preach in public but only such as should be licens'd by her Authority On which occasion no Sermon was preach'd at Paul's Cross or any public place in London from December until the Easter following and by it those that could not subscribe the Articles enjoyn'd meerly by Regal Power were suspended and depriv'd Whence we observe That if this Power be inherent in the Imperial Crown of England as hitherto our Clergy in opposition to Fanatic Clamors have over and over asserted the Clergy are undoubtedly owing to His Majesty's Clemency for the free exercise of their Religion for had not the King excell'd Queen Elizabeth of precious Memory in Compassion and Grace their Mouths would have been stopp'd long ago On the other hand if this Power be not inherent in the Crown 't will inevitably follow That the Nonconformists have been most unjustly treated by our Clergy To conclude The last Result will be this Our Clergy must abide by their old avow'd Doctrin defend the King 's Ecclesiastical Supremacy and acknowledge that it is to His Majesty's Grace they are owing for their present Liberty or condemn all their former Practices against the Dissenter and turn over unto them Vtrum horum Farewell FINIS See. 1. Eliz. c. 2. towards the End. The Queens Majesty by the Advice of her Commissioners or Metropolitan may ordain and publish such Ceremonies or Rites as may be most for the Advancement of Gods Glory c. Rex potest novas Leges condere circa Caeremonias Ritus cum Concilio Metropolitani vel Commissariorum in Causis Ecclesiâ—sticis Zouch Descrip. Jur. Ecclesiast par 1. Sect. 2. Cosin Tab. c. 1. Subscriptions requir'd before the 13 Eliz. c. 12. Heyl. Hist. Q. Eliz. an 5. pag. 331. Not only the Complaints of the Nonconformists in their Prints but our Histories so frequently mention it that 't would be troublesome to quote 'em all We 'll therefore mention what the Lawyers say of it and it is this A Subscription to the 39 Articles so far forth as the Articles do agree with the Law of God and the Land is not good as was adjudged in 33 34 Eliz. B. R. Clark against Smithfield So Godolph Abridg. Eccles. Laws c. 13. §. 8. Besides the Canon 36. enjoyns this fuller Subscription That the King as Supream Head may do whatever the Pope might formerly do within this Realm by Canon Law is asserted by all our Lawyers generally See Cokâ— 4. Instit. 341. Cawley 1. Q. Eliz. c. 1. Godolph Abridg. c. 1. §. 5 6 7. Zouch Descrip. jure Eccles. p. 1. §. 1. Cosin Tab. c. 16. The Lord C. J. Hobart asserts That altho the Statute of 25. Hen. 8. c. 21 doth say That all Dispensations c. shall be granted in manner and form following and not otherwise yet the King is not thereby restrain'd but his Power remains as full and perfect as before Colt and Glover against the Bishop of Covent and Lichfield Godolph Abridg c. 26. §. 12. Nullum Tempus occurrit Regi They declare That the Book of Common-Prayer and of Ordering of Bishops c. containeth nothing in it contrary to the Word of God and that it may be lawfully used and that they will use the Form in the said Book prescribed in Public Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and none other Can. 36. Art. 2. If an Act of Parliament forbiddeth under a Penalty and it prove inconvenient to divers particular Persons the law gives Power to the King to dispense therewith So Rolls and Coke See 22 Car. 2. The Author of Jovian assures us That the Government of this Kingdom consists in the Imperial as well as the Political laws and whatever is requir'd by the Imperial Laws if not contrary to the Laws of God muâ—t be observ'd So that unless Acts of Parliament be jure divinc and the Imperial Law or the Word of the King is to act contrary we mâ—st obev Joviar Edit 2. p. 205. 206. Synodus Provincialis vel Nationalis convocari non debet absque Principis Rescripto nec tractari nec determinari aliquid potest in Synodo nisi consentiente assentiente Principe Cosin Tab. c. 1. See Cawley on 1 Eliz. c. 1. Heylyn's Hist. of Q. Eliz. p. 276.
Liberty to express the Sense of their Hearts So the Paper And what hurt in all this It 's to be presum'd they 'l make more bold with their Prince than with God and therefore seeing they are not to be trusted when they make their Addresses to God how can they expect to be trusted when they apply themselves to their Prince Are not their Prayers all worded to their Hands Have they Liberty to express the Sense of their Hearts in Publick No they have solemnly promis'd they 'll use the Church-Prayers and none other why then should they expect a Liberty of expressing their Sense when they are to address to the King Ay but 4. Bishops upon their Consecration should declare what Faith they are of as they did in the Primitive Times What 's this but too high a Reflection upon our Church an Accusation that we are fallen from the Primitive Purity Tho it must be acknowledg'd that all the Clergy Subscribe Assent and Consent to the Thirty nine Articles c. And is not that enough Or have they forgotten how solemnly they did swear Canonical Obedience to their Ordinary that they now tell us they must maintain Unity with their Bishop with Caution thereby encouraging even the Nonconformists in their Dissent But to the Arguments against Addressing THE PAPER Reasons against it are Many under the present Circumstances to instance in Four. FIRST As to our Possessions it either equally concerns all Estates of Men in the Kingdom and ought then to be most particularly consider'd in Parliament or it supposes our Possessions less Legal and more Arbitrary than other Subjects ANSWER As for their Possessions they are setled on them in no other manner than they were on the Clergy in Q. Elizabeth's and K. James the First 's Days when for not subseribing to Articles never then enjoyn'd by Act of Parliament many hundreds of the Clergy were suspcnded and depriv'd of all their Ecclesiastical Possessions And should a strict Enquiry be made into our Clergy it 's to be fear'd that too many of 'em would be found so very guilty as to deserve not only a Suspension but also a Deprivation and we therefore cannot think it to be the Wisdom of our Clergy to provoke the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to make a close Search after their Miscarriages especially seeing Deprivations have been anciently for Dilapidations and such like Offences ARGUMENT II. SECONDLY As to our Religion This Address referring to the Declaration necessarily herds among the various Sects under the Toleration who for suspending the Laws have led the way in these Addresses owing their Exercise of their Religion to no Legal Establishment but only to Sovereign Pleasure and Indulgence which at pleasure is revocable ANSWER 1. They 'll not deny but that they now agree with the other Sects in Dissenting from his Majesty's Religion and are equally with them owing to the King's Grace and His most Christian Principle That Conscience ought not to be constrain'd for the Protection the King vouchsafes them in the Enjoyment of the Free Exercise of our Religion They see how easily the King can humble them and had he not been for Liberty of Conscience he must esteem himself under the most powerful Obligations of endeavoring it and a Change of our Religion Why then should they be so much against concurring with the various Sects among us in rendring the King their Thanks What shall the Fanatic out-do us in point of Ingenuity and Gratitude 2. They say That the Dissenters owe the Exercise of their Religion to no Legal Establishment but only to Sovereign Pleasure What a strange Change is this The other day in the late King's Reign the Cry the General Cry was That the very Legislative Power was lodg'd in the Breast of the King but now contrary to the very Vitals of our Government they 'll not allow Him the entire Enjoyment of the Executive Power That the King may grant a Dispensation with a Non obstante to any Act of Parliament as well as give out a Particular Pardon to the Transgressors of any Statute and these particular Dispensations and Pardons may be given out to every particular Subject that needs 'em has been the avow'd Principle even of the greatest Opposers of Arbitrary Government Besides in Matters Ecclesiastical which comprehend the Dissenters Case the Sovereignty of the King is as full and compleat as any of His Majesty's Royal Predecessors and theirs the same with that Power the Popes did de facto exercise according to canon-Canon-Law with a Non obstante to a particular Act of Parliament But what need we insist on these things Have not the Clergy gone higher in exalting the Sovereign Pleasure above all Laws even in Civils when in the Declaration that all our Clergy subscribe they distinguish between the Sovereign Pleasure of our King and His Authority of Law and that the Law or Authority if it at any time falls in competition with the Sovereign Pleasure must defere to Sovereign Pleasure it being a Trayterous Practice to observe the Law in opposition to any Commission'd by Sovereign Power The PAPER THIRDLY This Address is either design'd in the Name of the Church of England and then it ought to have had 't is Birth at Lambeth or a Synodal Convocation or in the Name of this Diocess only which then will both disjoynt us one from another who differ about it or from the rest of the National Clergy the best part of which we are assurc'd dislike it in the present Circumstances So that the inevitable consequence of this Address set on foot by a few Bishops independently on their Metropolitan and without the previous Concurrence of the rest of their Order must be a fatal Division among the Clergy and either beget a new Schism or widen the old ones which are already too deplorable ANSWER One would think that the Bishop and Clergy of a Diocess might safely enough make their Address of Thanks of the King without the previous Concurrence of the rest of their Order or consulting their Metropolitan For the Union between Bishop and Bishop and the Dependance of all the Bishops in a Province on their Metropolitan ought to be comprehended within those matters that relate to Purity of Faith and Manners but is Non-addressing a matter of Faith or Addressing contrary to the Rule of good Manners that it must not be adventur'd on without the Advice of a Colledge of Bishops or the leave of a Metropolitan But if we do more closely pursue this point we shall find the Constitution of our Church to be such that in all matters of Consultation the Birth must not be at Lambeth but at Whitehall For what Power Superior to a single Bishop hath the Metropolitan but what is Juris positivi and derived from the King the Fountain and Source of all Provincial and National Church-Power in these Kingdoms This surely must be granted by those that are not for a Power deriv'd either from a General Council
A REPLY TO THE REASONS OF THE Oxford-Clergy AGAINST ADDRESSING Publish'd with Allowance LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's Most Excellent Majesty for his Houshold and Chappel 1687. A REPLY TO THE REASONS of the OXFORD-CLERGY AGAINST ADDRESSING SIR THE Copy you sent us of some Reasons for Addressing with an Answer to 'em and several Arguments against it drawn up by the Oxford-Clergy doth most extreamly afflict and surprise us for what Man of Sense could in the least imagine that our Clergy who once had obtain'd the highest Applauses for their Loyalty should at last do any thing that may seem to justifie the Insinuations of those who always said That Church-of-England-Loyalty would continue no longer than the Prince was of their Religion For now it looks as if our Loyalty must be no longer liv'd than our Church is in a Flourishing State why else do our Clergy thus Remonstrate against rendring His Majesty their humblest Thanks for the Assurances He has given 'em of Protection in the Free Exercise of our Religion and in the full Enjoyment of their Ecclesiastical Possessions Don't they know that they are owing to His Majesty's Grace for this much and that unless His Majesty had embrac'd that most Christian and Heroic Principle That Conscience ought not to be constrain'd and had also excell'd all his Royal Predecessors in Clemency he could never forgive the Church of England by whom so many Sanguinary Laws have been made against Men of His Religion or have forborn the Exercising that Prerogative in Matters Ecclesiastical which our Church hath often recogniz'd to be Inherent in the Crown and by which our Church may be in a great measure Legally subverted What then can be more manifest to a Person of the least Thoughtfulness than that Our Church is infinitely oblig'd to His Majesty for Her present Standing Or what more certain than that She is most disingenuously ungrateful if She acknowledges not so much This Paper therefore which is sent abroad on purpose to ensnare the Members of our Church must not escape our Animadversions and that we may the more effectually prevent it s design'd Mischief we will lay down every Argument in the Words of the Paper and endeavor that our discussing 'em may be with the greatest Evenness and Moderation In the First place then we must make our Remarks on the Method taken to abuse the Reader by proposing but Two Considerations and that very lamely too for Addressing but as many more with all the Advantages imaginable against It thereby tempting the Unwary to conclude That the rendring His Majesty their Thanks was a thing most Ridiculous However we 'll propose those feeble Arguments that are for Addressing with the Clergys Answer and try whether it 's so easie a Matter to blow 'em off the Stage as these Gentlemen would have us think Reasons for this Address may be Two. FIRST That it may continue His Majesty's Favor and the Omission may irritate the Treasury to demand a Review of the First-fruits to the full Ualue upon the Fifth Bond. The CLERGIES ANSWER As to the Kings's Favor if the known Loyal Principles and Practices of the Church of England which evidenc'd themselves one would think so acceptable to this Prince in the Instance of the Exclusion and Monmouth will not secure us so not this Address which only copies out Fanatical Loyalty and Gratitude can continue it Yet our Thanks at this time might not seem improper if the Favor of continuing the Laws to us which perhaps with all the Endeavors to the contrary cannot be Repeal'd were as great as the Repealing those for the Dissenters Sake which the Presbyterian and Independent Addresses say His Majesty will engage His Parliament to and for which they principally give Thanks OUR REPLY 1. These Gentlemen think they have done enough already to merit the Continuance of His Majesty's Favor because some of 'em were against the Bill of Exclusion and endeavor'd the Suppression of Monmouth not considering how many of our Communion were the Active Persons both in the Matter of the Exclusion and Monmouth It 's true at that time some were very Loyal and but some Consult the late King 's Narrative and observe the Rise and Progress of that Conspiracy and you will find 't was from First to Last begun and carried on by Church of England Men For tho the Fanatics had their Hand in it yet they were not the Only nor the Chief Actors If you go back so far as the Excluding Parliament they were Five to One Church of England Men. Or if you look on the Contests about the Sheriffs you will find the Church of England to be the Chief in that Transaction and in truth no one that had been a Dissenter could act as a Sheriff or Common-Council-Man until he had forsaken his Communion with the Dissenters and incorporated himself with our Church So that whatever they did in these Public Capacities they did it not as Dissenters but as Members of the Church of England Come nearer home to the late Rebellion and consider who were the Heads of it and 't will appear that they were of the Church of England Or go down to Winchester where were above Four hundred of the Meaner sort and except Twenty or Thirty all declare themselves to be of the Church of England Or read Julian a Church of England Divine in which the Doctrin of Non-resistance is so much exploded and you may soon be convinc'd that the whole is said for Resistance is only for the Encouragement of Church of England Men to fight in Defence of the Religion by Law Establish'd not a Word to affect a Dissenter whose Religion is by Statute-Laws condemn'd So that our Church must take the Shame of all these things to her self and confess she has more reason to insist on his Majestie 's Grace than her own Merit for the continuance of the King's Favour But 2. It is granted by these Gentlemen That if the Favor of continuing the Laws to us were as great as the repealing those against the Dissenters it might not be improper to give Thanks So that it s confessd to be but just in the Dissenters to make their Addresses And we doubt not but that we shall make it manifest that such is the present State and Constitution of the Church of England that it 's as much in the Power of the King to humble our Clergy as 't is to comfort the Dissenter and that our Clergy are as much owing to the Kings Grace for the present exercise of their Religion and Enjoyment of their Possessions as the Dissenters are for the Indulgence We mention not this to lessen his Majestie 's Favor to the Dissenter but that you may see the Transcendency of the Kings Grace to our Church The several Acts of Parliament recognizing the King's Supremacy in matters Ecclesiastical the Doctrin of the Church of England seen in her Articles and the Histories of