plain, from what follows, that 'tis the church of England. But, who or what is this church of England, which thus orders and appoints? Is it not the king and parliament of England? Is not all authority, both ecclefiaftical and civil, within these realms, lodged folely in them? They, and they only, order and decree what ceremonies and religious rites fhall be practised in this church; and what all its bifhops and priests fhall believe, and fubfcribe as articles of their faith. So that 'tis evident beyond difpute that when we talk of our church, as ordering or appointing-we mean our king and our parliament.

But what authority have these (I speak it with due reverence) to make laws in Chrift's kingdom, the church, and to prescribe rites and forms of worfhip which Chrift hath not prescribed? If they have authority to prefcribe one fuch rite, they have authority to prescribe ten; and if ten, ten thousand: And thus a portentous way is opened for the tyranny and fuperftition, which the reformation fhook off, to return upon us amain. For my own part, I defire never to forget that admonition of our Lord, Matt. xv. 9. In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

If the church, i. e. the king and parliament of England, have authority to order, That the crofs in one facrament and kneeling at the other, fhall be the indifpenfable conditions of our receiving

ceiving these signs of the chriftian covenant, they have equal authority to order chrism, spittle, proAtration at the communion-table, or any rites of the Greek or Roman church. And what then becomes of our boafted reformation? It only changed the dreadful yoke, not broke it from our necks. We withdrew our confciences from the pope and cardinals of Rome, but 'twas only to subject them to the king and parliament of Great-Britain.If these be the principles on which our reformation ftands, 'tis the fword, not properly the church of England; its foldiers, not its priests; its armies, and fleets, not its arguments and writings, that are the bulwark of the reformation. And fome may be apt to say, seeing either the king and parliament, or the pope, must have the homage of my confcience, I will give it to the latter; for his claim to that homage, as being a fpiritual perfon, a fucceffor of the apostlesfeems beft founded of the two; and the advantages he promises by pardons, indulgencies, &c. are much greater than any to be expected on the other fide.

Vic. But why fhould you talk, Sir, of the homage of confcienee? The church, or, if you must have it, the king and parliament of England, require no fuch homage: Have they not granted a toleration to all proteftants, who are not fatisfied with its forms to worship God in their own way?

Gent.

Gent. True, I remember the toleration, and think it one of the moft glorious and equitable acts our church ever paffed; for, till it enacted - this law, we had the very effence of popery incorporated into our government: We as really claimed infallibility, and acted agreeably to that. claim, as his holiness himself; and with the tyranny and enormous power of which we stript the church of Rome, we gravely decked our own. But, thank heaven! our church is now in good measure recovered from this delirium, and no longer compels any by the powerful convictions of pillories, fines, imprisonments, &c. to come in; but tho' it does not thus tyrannize over those who are without its pale, are not all its own members ftill held under the heavy yoke? To be a genuine member of the church of England, 'tis necessary that we believe its articles, and worShip according to its rites. Now, must not all who believe its articles, acknowledge it to have power to decree rites and ceremonies and authority in controverfies of faith? Agreeably to this acknowledgement, muft they not receive the two facraments of the christian covenant, loaded with other rites than Chrift himself hath appointed? Muft they not firmly hold the catholic faith contained in the Athanafian creed, and declare that whosoever doth not keep it whole and undefiled, shall without doubt perish everlastingly? - Since then our civil powers make other rites neceffary to our VOL. III. admiffion

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admiffion into their church, than Chrift has made neceflary to our admiffion into his; and fince they make the belief of other doctrines neceffary to falvation than Chrift hath made neceffary, what muft be the confequence, but that Chrift's church, and their church are not the fame; and that all the members of this latter must pay an homage of confcience to other governors befides him? 'Tis bishops and priefts that pay them this homage, by subscribing those articles, and practifing those rites as necessary terms of christian communion with them, which their authority hath decreed, and thereby bow down and acknowledge another lord or director in religious affairs, befides Jefus Chrift; and all its feveral members alfo pay them this homage, by fubmitting to those rights this foreign power hath enjoined.

And, if I have not trefpaffed too far upon your candour already, I would beg leave to obferve, that the diftinction betwixt church and fate, which hath occafioned fo much clamour, is entirely without foundation, and nothing but an empty found. The church of England is as meerly a civil thing, and as much a creature of the ftate, as either of our courts of justice, or our offices of heraldry, excife, &c. or any other branch or conftitution of our civil government. All its officers, archbishops, bishops, deans, archdeacons, prebendaries, canons, priests, &c. are as really and as much state-officers,, as the judges,

colonels,

colonels, captains, heralds, excisemen, &c. They are all alike made and unmade by the civil powers, are directed, limited, controuled in the execution of their feveral offices; commanded how, and when, and where they fhall act. The king is as much the head of the church, as of the army, and of the army as of the church; the fountain of the power by which the bishops and priefts, as of that by which the colonel or the corporal acts. The officers of both, alike owe their very being to parliamentary authority, and their maintenance and fupport to parliamentary grants: And whatever alteration the wifdom of our legiflature may fee fit to make in the frame or fupport of either, they have alike power to make; and 'tis equally abfurd and treasonable to fay that our king and parliament can alter the revenues of the customs or excife, and apply them to other public uses than now they are applied to, as that they can thus alienate or apply the revenues of the church.

Vic. You carry matters to a vast length, Sir; but, when I say 'was an ancient ufage of the church, I mean of the primitive chriftian church, in the second and third centuries, who commonly laid on hands to confirm thofe who had been baptized, as Tertullian and Cyprian most undeniably witness.