Of the 7th Canon of the Church of England: that the French Church allows of the English Diocesan Epis- copacy, and upon some Occasions has expressed a readiness to embrace the same if she might have it: that she not only thinks it lawful to submit to the Authority and Jurisdiction of Bishops, where they are regularly Of the 8th Canon: that the French Church does not impugn our Form of Ordaining Bishops, Priests, and Dea- cons; or say, that they who are consecrated by that Form, are not lawfully made, nor ought to be accounted truly Bishops, Priests, or Deacons, until they have some other Calling; that they allow not the People in Of the 9th 10th, and 11th Canons: that the French Church reckons Schismaticks and their abettors to be out of the That the French Church observes some Festivals: and allows, even upon Popish Holidays, the same Services to be performed, that are required upon our Festivals by the 13th Canon of our Church: that Festivals were many Years observed at Geneva, and that Calvin had no hand in the Abrogation of them: that Churches at Of the 49th Canon, which forbids Ministers, who are not Licensed Preachers, to expound the Scripture. Of the 55th Canon, which speaks of Prayer before Sermon; and the 57th which forbids Persons to go for Baptism Of the 58th Canon, which treats of the Surplice and Hood. And the 65th, which requires Ministers to denounce Recusants and other Excommunicate Persons solemnly Of the 72d Canon, which forbids Ministers to appoint Public or private Fasts, or to exercise Demoniacks, unless they Of the respect paid to National Synods in the French Church, and that it is greater than is required by the 139th Canon of the Church of England. Also of the two last Canons, THE FRENCH CHURCH'S APOLOGY FOR THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. BOOK I. OF THE GENERAL RULES AND EXPEDIENTS FOR PRESERVING THE UNITY AND PEACE OF THE CHURCH; SHEWING, THAT THE SAME METHODS ARE USED IN THE FRENCH CHURCH, IN ORDER TO THIS END, THAT ARE USED IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. CHAP I. Of the Use and Expediency of Ecclesiastical Synods, to preserve the Unity and Peace of the Church; and of the contrary Principles of Latitudinarians and Independents, condemned by the French Church. WHEN We discourse of the unity and peace of the Church in general, there are none, who call themselves Christians, of any denomination whatsoever, but will readily acknowledge both themselves and others to be under an obligation to preserve "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:" but when we descend to particular enquiries, about the proper methods and expedients to preserve this unity; here it is, that difference arises, and men are unaccountably divided in their sentiments from one another. The Church of England, as appears both from her constitution and practice, has generally thought the free use of Ecclesiastical Synods one good expedient for preserving unity another has been the obligation arising either from royal injunctions, or canons, or acts of uniformity: a third, the obligation of subscriptions, and oaths in some certain cases: a fourth, the censuring and silencing non-conformists, and prohibiting separate assemblies: a fifth, the denying separatists, the privilege of occasional communion: with some others of the like nature. Now these are commonly cried out against, as arbitrary and tyrannical proceedings in the Church, by those who are of different sentiments, or different interests from her; as if these methods were but so many encroachments upon the rights and privileges of Englishmen, and the singular unparalleled impositions of the Church of England. But if we can shew, that these methods are not so peculiar to the Church of England, but that the very same methods have ever been most strictly observed and practiced in the reformed Church of France; then at least the charge of singularity will vanish, and either the English Church be justified, or the French Church involved in the same accusations. I will therefore compare the practice of the two Churches npon these heads in this book, beginning with the free use of Ecclesiastical Synods, which is the first expedient for preserving unity. Some there are, who resolve all Church-power into congregational assemblies, and deny not only the authority of Synods in determining controversies of faith, but even their power to decree any thing that concerns external order and discipline. This I take to be the avowed doctrine of the independents. Others say, they do not think all Synods simply unlawful; but yet it is plain by their sly insinuations and scandalous reflections on the practice of the whole Catholic Church, that they intend to signify so much: for they say," It may reasonably be doubted, whether ever the Church had such happy times, as that all the conditions requisite in a true Christian Synod, were ever observed in any one Synod, except that of the Apostles; and consequently whether Synods have not done more harm than good to the Church; as the history of all Synods does manifestly declare and that it had been better for the Church, if there never had been any Synod called to decide any controversies of faith." So Limborch,* and others who follow his Latitudinarian principles, with no other design but to establish their own errors, by enervating and disgracing that authority, which of all others was most likely to give a check to them. My business at present is not with this, or any other foreign divine; though 1 could not but take notice of this passage in transitu; and perhaps it may provoke some abler hand to examine his chapter de Synodis, and lay open his fallacious reasonings in it. The only persons I am concerned with here, are those among ourselves, who challenge the Church of England of usurpation, for using her Synodical power as an expedient to preserve her own peace. Now if this be any crime, it is much more imputable to the Church of France, who reckon their Synods the main preservatives of union and concord against heresies and schisms; and expressly condemn the principles of independency, which tend to undermine the authority of them. Their book of discipline (which, I shall shew, all ministers by their subscription and oath are obliged to observe) has this Canon: cap. 6. art. 5. "Ministers shall inform their churches, that our ecclesiastical assemblies of Colloquies and Synods, whether provincial or national, are the bands and buttresses of their concord and union against schisms, heresies, and all other inconveniences; that so they may discharge their duty in the use of means for the continuance and upholding of those ecclesiastical assemblies." Their very practice proves the sense they had of the usefulness of them. For they had no less than twenty nine National Synods in less than the space of an hundred Limborch Theol. Christ. lib. vii. cap. 19. n. 4. |