REFLECTIONS ON A BOOK ENTITULED The Rights Powers and Privileges of an ENGLISH CONVOCATION Stated and Vindicated By GILBERT Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed for RI. CHISWELL at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1700. REFLECTIONS on a Book Entituled The Rights Powers and Privileges of an English Convocation c. IT is so natural for all Men to love Power and Authority that it was not to be wondred at if the Book published some Months ago asserting the Rights of a Convocation was received by many with great Approbation and much Applause Some things indeed it had in it agreeable enough but there was one thing wanting which was too evident not to appear both in the whole Contexture and almost in every Page That though the Author pretended to plead the Cause of the Church which is indeed the Cause of Christ himself who is the Head of the Body yet he had so entirely laid aside the Spirit of Christ and the Characters of a Christian that without large Allowances of Charity one can hardly think that he did once reflect on the Obligations he lay under to follow the Humility the Meekness and the Gentleness of Christ So far from that he seems to have forgot the common Decencies of a Man or of a a Scholar A Book writ with that roughness and acrimony of Spirit if well received would be a much stronger Argument against the Expediency of leaving a Convocation at full liberty than any he brings or can bring for it A meeting of Men of that Temper would give but too much occasion to renew all the Complaints that Nazianzen made of the Synods and Councils in his time and would I doubt be a greater prejudice to the common Concerns of the Christian Religion than could be ballanced by any thing that the best Men in it might promote When such a Spirit appears without doors what might be expected from Men covered by the freedom of Speech which must be allowed in all publick Consultations If the Writer had been provoked by any thing writ on the Subject in that Strain to which he lets himself loose then the great Liberties he takes had been capable of some excuse But the attacking of Men who had given him no colour of provocation in so petulant and virulent a Stile is somewhat new and I hope shall be so little liked that it shall not be much followed The Scorn with which he treats my self and the Malice that he pours out upon me in such a copious manner are things that I can very easily bear I have been long accustomed to them chiefly from some Men of one sort If Fame sixes this Book to the true Author I had no reason to look for such treatment from him unless the unsuccessfulness of my Attempts to serve him though managed by me with much care and zeal oftner than once does pass with him for so great an injury that upon it he thinks every thing may be justified that he can write against me He takes some pains to colour the blackness of his Spite but the Art is so course and the Venom is so malignant that it breaks through all disguises It is true I may be mistaken in the Author and for several Reasons I wish I were But certainly since those he levels his Wrath at have put their Names in the Front of their Books it had been reasonable that an Answer to these should have likewise been as publickly owned by its Author He writes on the Popular side but has many peculiar Maxims and this may be one of them Not to engage himself past retreat He might perhaps hope that this performance would be more effectual for his Advancement than my Endeavours had been This shewed what he could do yet still all was safe he might be taken off and then Altri tempi altri castumi But I leave him in his Covert to pursue his designs by what methods he pleases only for the Church's sake as well as for his own I wish he would more frequently carry those words of our Saviour's in his mind Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart It gives Scandal enough to the World when Lawyers Philosophers Physicians and Politicians happen to write one against another with Bitterness and Scurrility but it is much more Scandalous when Divines keep no Temper in their Writings but forget all Decency and shew themselves Enemies not only to the Opinions but also to the Persons of those they write against and that in such an open and visible Contradiction to the Words of our Saviour By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another as if they affected a Reverse of them By this shall all men know your zeal to your Party if ye hate all those who are not of it Such practices as these do effectually obstruct the progress of Religion while an Age that is too much possessed against both us and our Holy Faith fails not to make a very wicked use of all those Advantages with which ambitious or ill-natur'd Zealots furnish them to represent us to the World as a Company of aspiring and factious Men who are ready to Sacrifice every thing to our own Humours and Notions not considering how much Religion it self suffers by the management These are Things that I hope good Men will lay seriously to heart and that they will watch over their own Tempers even after the highest provocation from those who seem to be in the gall of Bitterness and the bond of Iniquity not to return railing for railing nor to be overcome of evil but to overcome evil with good But after I have taken the liberty to admonish the Writer in a Strain that I think becomes me considering both the Post that how undeserving soever I hold in the Church together with my Age and the Services that I have endeavoured to imploy my Life in I shall in the next place acknowledge what I must needs commend him for He writes with just and due Respect of the King and of the present Constitution This has come so seldom from that Corner that it ought to be the more consider'd I will not give that scope to Jealousy as to suspect that this was an Artifice but accept it sincerely and do acknowledge that this which is so heartily express'd ought to make Abatements for the many severe Reflections that are made in it on the whole Bench of Bishops not excepting the Head of it and his carrying his Spite back so far as even to Bishop Bancroft I confess if he had taken a little more pains to have Vindicated King Charles the First and Archbishop Laud from that for which he falls so foully on the present Administration it had been more suitable to the respect that all the Lovers of the Church do pay their Memory If it does appear that We and They have acted upon the same Principle then a Wound and that a deep one
it I say that the Authority of Papal Bulls and Royal Confirmations and a Provision in a Statute made in a Reign that some take pleasure now to decry should be thought strong enough to authorize Deans and other Exempted persons to do all the Acts of Episcopal Jurisdiction If Ecclesiastical Authority is only of human Original indeed all this may be excused and born with But if our Plea for a Divine Original is well founded then since no human Law nor Custom can derogate from the Divine Law let those who are concerned in these things see how they can reconcile our Principles to their Practices Here are Presbyters acting in most parts of the Episcopal Functions as Bishops without any Subordination to them If all is founded on a Divine Right then by the same Authority that they do invade many Acts of Episcopal Jurisdiction they might as well have invaded all the rest and if the one would be condemned as a sacrilegious attempt it will not be easy to excuse much less to justify the other Upon all these things I wish that Men would apply their Thoughts more carefully and direct their Zeal a little better and that they would lay all the ends of their System together that it may appear that all is coherent and hangs well together And therefore it is not very fairly done to bring some Authorities from Ancient Authors and Councils of Presbyters assisting their Bishops and from thence immediately to conclude for the Right of a Convocation constituted as ours is I must acknowledge this Author confines himself chiefly to our own Laws and Customs In which I will not trace him but shall leave that to others who may be more at leisure to follow him only I must in general remark one thing which I find some are beginning to observe with no kind Intentions The Clergy are now generally admitted as Freeholders to chuse the Representatives of the Commons in Parliament and I believe they would look on it as a very unfriendly Office if any Doctrines were laid down that might exclude them from this But it passes for a Maxim That those who constitute any other State or part of the Parliament how great soever their Estates or Freeholds may be cannot Vote in the Elections to Parliament how far the Doctrine that is so much laboured by this Author may have an influence in this matter I will not determine If it does I doubt not but that since mens Affections do as we have already observed very much biass their Judgments the Opinion of the World concerning this performance may come to be changed from what it is at present I have neither Leisure nor Inclination to enter further into the discussion of this pretended Right of the Convocation's sitting and being Constituted into a Body and of their preparing and proposing of Matters I will only offer some Historical Observations upon which it will be easy to make Remarks to shew that there is nothing new in the present Administration how heinously soever it may be complained of I will avoid saying any thing with relation to King Henry the VIIIth's Reign because of the Prejudices that these Men have against it and I will refer a very material part of King Edward's Reign to the end of these Reflections The Debates with the Puritans and the Disciplinarian Controversy was that which occasioned great Heats during Queen Elizabeth's Reign But the Convocation never medled with this it was left wholly with the Queen she appointed some Bishops and others of the Clergy who were of the High-Commission to settle Rules in those Matters They did it and their Decisions are Printed and may be seen in the later Editions of Bishop Sparrow's Collections I have an Edition of them Printed in that Reign so here a matter of very great consequence was settled by a few Bishops and others acting by the Queen's Commission and this was the Rule that the Church was Governed by till the late Civil Wars Here was a good Plea for the Puritans which this Author has found for them that none of themselves made use of The next Subject of dispute was during a great part of King James the First 's Reign and all King Charles the First 's till the War concerning Predestination In this the Calvinists appealed to the Articles and seemed to have a strong Plea from them This was a point of Doctrine and the Dispute being about the sense of Articles that had been agreed on in Convocation it seemed very natural to make the Appeal to that Body but yet that was not done Our Kings made Declarations in this matter and gave Directions to the Bishops It was generally thought that in King James's Reign the much greater number of both Houses were the followers of St. Austin's Doctrine if not of Calvin's Yet I never found this among the Complaints of the Angry Men of that time that the Decision of the matter was not left to a Convocation And among all the Remonstrances how warm soever that were Voted in the House of Commons I do not find this is ever named Nor is Archbishop Laud ever Charged with this though that was a time in which all his Actions were severely descanted on There was then in the House of Commons a Set of Men who by reason of the Ship-money and some other Disputes had examined further into the Original of our Constitution than ever was done before or since So in this particular a Negative Argument is of great force to shew that they had not those Notions of our Constitution which this Writer suggests After the Corrections of the Liturgy that were made upon the Restoration of King Charles the Second there was not a Line published and scarce a word muttered demanding a Convocation Then the danger of Popery's breaking in upon us appeared in very eminent Instances and though some apprehended that sooner than others yet none doubted of it after the Declaration in the year 1672. But during both that and the late Reign among all the zealous Attempts that were made for securing us from it not any one was offered at for a Convocation's medling in it even among the indiscreet Instances of ill-governed Zeal this was not so much as once mentioned This Writer names among other reasons for one now the growth P. 102. of Popery It may justly seem strange if this is a good one now that it was not thought on when the Danger was so Threatning and Visible There was no want of a just and well-governed Zeal in that time But the men that managed it knew what they had a Right to and what they could Legally both demand and maintain If there were any just grounds to fear that Popery was beginning again to be active and insolent among us when this Book was Written I suppose the Act pass'd in the last Session has put such an effectual stop to it that there will be little occasion given any more to reckon that among
the reasons of calling for a Convocation Thus it has appeared that for above 140 Years the Crown has been in possession of a Right of making use of a Convocation or of settling matters of Religion without it at Discretion Queen Elizabeth made use of one to settle our Doctrine and little more was done in Convocation in her time King James the First made use of one to make a Body of Canons but took all other matters under his own care King Charles the First followed the same method And though in the Year 1640. some things were done that must be put on the heat of that time yet the Declaration that was made of the extent of the King's Authority as it was all managed by Archbishop Laud and Directed by that King so it shews plainly what the Sense of this Church was as to that Matter Which had been indeed the Sense and Language of their Predecessors for above an 100 Years before that time In King Charles the Second's time the Convocation was allowed to consider what Alterations ought to be made in the Liturgy and after that there was no more work given them only they Met on Wednesdays and Frydays to Read the Litany which I am sure I heard many who were then required to Attend that so there might be a Face of a Meeting answering the great name that it bare complain of as oâ— a very uneasy and troublesome Attendance that was of no sort of use But now to come to the Present Reign a Convocation was opened in it and a Secretary of State brought a License from His Majesty and the late Blessed Queen to them to consider of such things as should be laid before them in order to the healing the Schisms and Breaches that were among us The Bishops in the former Reign had in that Petition upon which they Suffered so Gloriously expressed a readiness to come to a just Temper in all the matters of Difference among us when they should be brought before them in Convocation or Parliament and among other Messages that were sent over to the King being then Prince of Orange one was That he would use all his Interest among the Dissenters to hinder them from running in to the Declaration and to the design that was then promoted of animating them against the Church Of this I may be allowed to speak confidently because it passed through my own hands and I drew the directions that were given to an Eminent Person who was Employed in it Upon these reasons it was that the Prince now King promised in his Declaration with which he came over that he would use his endeavours to bring about the so much desired Union between the Church of England and the Dissenters So their Majesties were under Engagements to make the Experiment It is true it did not succeed a formed Resolution of consenting to no Alterations at all in order to that Union made that the attempt was laid aside I will not enter into any further Reflections on mens Behaviour at that time it plainly appeared it was not a proper season to try to make Peace Attempts that way were more likely to create new rents than to heal the old ones I shall only touch on one particular which will shew that when Men are disposed to be jealous they will suspect every thing even that which at another time would be thought the most effectual method to prevent or to cure jealousy Princes do commonly prepare the matters which they propose to such Assemblies with the advice of their Council But upon that occasion the King and Queen did create a Council by a special Commission of all the Bishops who owned their Authority and of the most Eminent of the Clergy gathered from the several parts of the Kingdom that they might consider and prepare such things as should be offered by them to the King and Queen that so their Majesties might propose these to the Convocation This surely was done in favour of the Church But even this was cried out upon as a limiting the Convocation with many other hard words which I do not love to repeat It did then appear in so many visible Instances that our Wounds were then too tender to be either handled or healed so it was thought fit to let the matter sleep and to give no new occasion to Heat or Animosity But at the same time to keep the Clergy still ready upon call if there should be any occasion for them during the Sessions of Parliament yet not to charge them with a needless Attendance when the Publick occasions put them under so many heavy Taxes It being also observed that in a hot time all unnecessary Assemblies are to be avoided for if they have no business one way they commonly make it another And now after this short but true and clear account of this matter what is to be said of the fruitfulness of a man's Imagination who could make so great a Book and such heavy complaints for no other cause but this because by a possession of above an 140 Years founded upon a Statute that has been understood at least by both Divines and Lawyers in favour of the Crown for I leave the Examining the Importance of the Words of the Act to those whose Profession leads them to Expound them best it is at the King's Discretion whether he will allow a Convocation to Treat of matters or not and upon a Trial his Majesty found it not convenient either to carry the thing further at that time or to repeat the Experiment hitherto and since he did not intend this he has thought fit to free them from the charge and trouble of an unprofitable Attendance What is in his discretion to do or not to do must be left there But since some do not rightly apprehend his Care and Kindness in delivering them from a fruitless Trouble it were a great pity that this should be any longer misunderstood but that either the Clergy should understand the thing as it is truly meant or that they should return to that toil of which they were generally so weary not many Years ago Upon the whole matter let men vex themselves as long as they please in fixing the limits of the Civil and the Ecclesiastical Authority I believe no other will ever be found but this That the Magistrates Authority must go to every thing that is not contrary to the Law of God so that no bounds can be set to it but those which God himself has set and this is of the same extent in Spiritual as well as in Civil matters a Law in Temporal concerns that is contrary to the eternal Laws of Morality of Justice and Truth is void of its self Because it is contrary to a Superior Authority which cannot be controul'd by a Subaltern Upon the same reasons a Law made contrary to any Rule in the Gospel that is delivered as a perpetual Law binding to all Christians is void of it self and ought
put in his Ifs as a way of wounding with a little more decency and to be more secure himself when called upon to justify it Upon so severe an Accusation it is fit that I say somewhat in General before I descend to Particulars I confess if those of the Church of Rome had dealt thus by that Work or if any secret Favourers of Popery had given them such help I should not have wondered at it I have no sort of reason to suspect any thing of that kind to lie under the several attempts that have been made on that Work but very much to the contrary if common fame sixes it right If any Person intends to Write a more Correct and a better History of that time it were very natural for him to endeavour the disparaging the Credit of my Work the better to prepare the World for his own I should not much wonder in that case to see such a continued Vehemence against the History of the Reformation But the studying to disgrace it as this Author and others have endeavoured to do seems to flow from no other Principle but meer Spleen and Ill-nature I took great pains in Writing my First Volume and much more in Writing the Second when the good Reception that the First had gave me reason to hope for a more universal Assistance I made the best use and the gratefullest Acknowledgments of all the help that was given me that I could I invited all People to it almost all the Eminent Clergy of that time promoted the design If it can be alledged that I either neglected or stifled any Assistance that was offered me I am then liable to just Censure since the Work was finished I have had some Materials sent me in order to a review of that Work which though they happened to be matters of very little Consequence yet I have laid them all in order by me that when it is seasonable I may review the whole Work I have received every thing of this kind in such a manner as might encourage others to use me with the decencies that becomes such Attempts But if any will Animadvert on me publickly without trying the kinder as well as the more Christian way of beginning in private with my self they discover a temper that I will not describe in its true Characters Some years ago a rude Attack was made upon me under the disguised name of Anthony Harmer His true Name is well enough known as also who was his Patron who had set those about him during the late Reign on the design which one would think was an odd one chiefly at that time But I answered that Specimen with the firmness that became me and I charged the Writer home to publish all the rest of his Reflections He had intimated that he gave them but the Sample and that he had great store yet in reserve I told him upon that I would expect to see him make that good and bring out all that he had to say otherwise that must pass for Slander and Detraction He did not think fit to write any more on that Subject tho' he was as much sollicited to it by some as he was provoked to it by my self He is now at his Rest and therefore I will say no more on the Subject Only I will add one singular thing to teach those who survive and think they are beating out untrodden Paths to write with Modesty as P. 263. well as exactness I have a whole Treatise in my hands that contains in it only the faults of ten Leaves of one of his Volumes they are indeed so many and so gross that often the faults are as many as the Lines sometimes they are two for one There is not only such a gross mistaking of Abbreviatures but even where the Manuscript that he Copied has the words at large that no sort of account can be given how these Mistakes were made for some of them are contrary to many of his most beloved Maxims I have made no use of this but have it still in my hands to shew it to such as are curious I have indeed desired the Ingenious person that sent it me to try his exactness upon my self and to see what defects errors or other faults my History can be justly charged with From this it may appear that those who take great liberties with others and who perhaps think they themselves are safe because as they have not named themselves so they have not told where their Vouchers are and how they may be come at and may hope that few will be at the pains to trace them yet they may be very justly censured for Errors of another nature than those are with which they charge others of which I shall have occasion to give some very eminent Instances in this Author but without those unkind and uncharitable Comments in which he allows himself such Indecent liberties It is three and twenty years past since I set first about my History I was for three years together at no small pains and charge in searching for Materials I had no sort of practice in our Records before that time But I was conducted by men who were very knowing in those matters these were Bishop Stillingfleet Sir John Marsham the Younger and Mr. Petyt I went to every place as they directed me I consulted them in all difficulties and was concluded by them chiefly by the first of them whose Reputation was then very high and was very deservedly so with relation to those matters I was indeed put under one great disadvantage Some Men of this Author's temper possessed that Learned and Noble Gentleman Sir John Cotton with such ill impressions of my design in writing the History that no endeavours whatsoever could conquer them He stood upon this That if I could procure a Letter either from a Secretary of State or from the Archbishop of Canterbury desiring I might be admitted into his Library it should be open to me but not otherwise Those who had begot the Jealousie in him knew that this was not to be obtained so when the present Bishop of Worcester had tried all his Endeavours but without success to clear this I oâ—fered to deliver up all my Collections to any who would undertake the Work But that was not accepted of No care was taken to find one who should write it but a great deal was used to hinder me from doing it Sir John Marsham had free admittance into the Library so once when the Noble Owner was out of Town he carried me thither and I with my Amanuenses were for some days hard at work but that lasted not long Another worthy Gentleman Mr. Cary had the credit to borrow out some Books and I had the use of these Thus I was barred the free use of that Unvaluable Library whilst I writ the first Volume Indeed as soon as that appeared the Honourable Owner of it said he saw ho 〈…〉 d an use I had made of that
imposed upon them Which occasioned such stretches to be made not only against Bonner and Gardiner but Tonstall Heath and Day So there is no probability in imagining that any thing of that kind could then have passed in Convocation But in Queen Elizabeth's time the Popish Clergy were all turned out the Act of Uniformity was made and a new Sett of Reformed Bishops and Divines was brought in and yet it was Five years after her Accession to the Crown before that Convocation met So this Author had not the Advantages with which he thought he was furnished to divert his Reader by exposing me on this account This was a matter of such consequence that I thought it necessary to give a truer View of it than this Writer had done I hope in this enough is said to oblige both himself to be more cautious and modest for the future and his Readers not to receive all he says too Implicitly I have found him as much out in several other of his Allegations against me but if I should mention only a few of these and not go through with them all it would look as if I had justified my self as far as I could and had yielded up all the rest Therefore since I cannot go through with all I resolve to let all alone till I see the utmost that he can bring out against me and then I will make the best use of it I can either to Vindicate my self or to confess Mistakes as soon as I am convinced of them how little soever of Decency or of Christianity there may be in the manner of offering it to me I wish this Author would reflect with some measure of Impartial seriousness as in the Presence of that God by whom he must be judged for this as well as all the other parts of his Life on the Temper he was in on the End he pursued and on the Spirit that acted him while he writ his Book Sudden Emotions are capable of Excuses but such a continued course of Spite and Malice seems scarce capable of any I pray God give him a just sense of it And so I have done with his ill-natur'd Book with as little loss of time as was possible I could not meddle with it before I came hither where my Papers and References lie and I have been but Four days at home when I end this so much haste have I made to get rid of an unpleasant Imployment but it seemed necessary and there I leave it I pray God pour out another Spirit upon his Church and teach us all in this our day to know the things that belong to our peace For how secure soever we may be in our present Quiet the Evil day is perhaps not so far from us as some may imagine The more we are divided among our selves the less able will we be to bear what we must then look for But without any other Enemy if we bite and devour one another we shall be consumed one of another The black View that we may justly have from the Impieties and other Abominations that abound among us seem to call upon us to put on other Tempers and act by other Principles and with another Spirit and to seek for the things that make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another Salisbury the 25th of May 1700. FINIS BOOKS Printed for R. Chiswell BIshop Patrick's Commentary on Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy in Five Volumes 4 o. Wharton's Serm in Lambeth-Chapel 2 Vol. 8 o With his Life The 2d Edit 1700. Dr. Conant's Sermons in Two Vol. 8 o. Published by Bishop Williams Dr. Wake of Preparation for Death The 6th Edition 1699. Dr. Fryer's 9 Years Travel 's into India and Persia with Copper-Plates Fol. 1698. Bishop Williams Of the Lawfulness of Worshipping God by the Common-Prayer With several other Discourses Mr Tulley's Disc of the Government of the Thoughts The 3d Edit 12 o. 1699. The Life of Henry Chichele Archbishop of Canterbury in which there is a particular Relation of many Remarkable Passages in the Reigns of Henry V. and VI. Kings of England Written in Latin by Arthur Duck L. L. D. Chancellor of the Diocess of London and Advocate of the Court of Honour Now made English and a Table of Contents annexed 8 o. 1699. The Judgment of the Ancient Jewish Church against the Unitarians in the Controversy upon the Holy Trinity and the Divinity of our Blessed Saviour With a Table of Matters and a Table of Texts of Scriptures occasionally explained by Peter Alix D. D. Short Memorials of Thomas Lord Fairfax Written by himself Published 1699. The Life of John Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury in the times of Queen Elizabeth and King James I. Written by Sir Geo Paul Comptroler of his Grace's Houshold To which is annexed a Treatise intituled Conspiracy for pretended Reformation Written in the Year 1591. By Richard Cosin L L. D. Dean of the Arches and Official Principal to Arch-Bishop Whitgift 8 o 1699. An Exposition of the 39 Articles of the Church of England by Dr. Burnet Bishop of Sarum Fol 1700. His Sermon to the Societies for Reformation of Manners Mar. 25. 1700. A Practical Discourse of Religious Assemblles By Dr. William Sherlock Dean of St. Pauls The 3d Edition 1700. A Treatise concerning the Causes of the present Corruption of Christians and the Remedies thereof 1700. Archbishop Tillotson's Eighth Volume being several Discourses of Repentance viz. The Necessity of Repentance and Faith Of confessing and forsaking Sin in order to Pardon Of Confession and Sorrow for Sin The Unprofitableness of Sin in this Life an Argument for Repentance The Shamefulness of Sin an Argument for Repentance The final Issue of Sin an Argument for Repentance The present and future Advantage of an Holy and Viâ—tuous Life The Nature and Necessity of holy Resolution The Nature and Necessity of Restitution The Usefulness of Consideration in order to Repentance The Danger of Impenitence where the Gospel is preachâ—d In the Press The Fourth and Last Part of Mr. RUSHWORTH'S Historical Collections Containing the Principal Matters which happen'd from the beginning of the Year 1645 where the Third Part ended to the Death of King Charles the First 1648. Impartially Related Setting forth only Matter of Fact in Order of Time without Observation or Reflection â—â—â—â—ed for the Press in his Life-time To which will be added Exact Alphabetical Tables