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spiritual and temporal powers*; and released the kingdom from an iron yoke of grievous impofition, under which it had long groaned with impatience and reluctant indignation.

The beneficial effects which refulted from the rejection of this ufurpation, may be illuftrated in three principal points of view. In the first, as it precluded all intercourse of foreign power, and all contests of spiritual pre-eminence with other countries, by af ferting the independency of every Church as to the regulation of its internal difcipline. In

* Bramhall's juft Vindication of the Church of England. Alfred, who, as well as other Saxon kings, had opposed the affumptions of the Papal power, withstood for fix years the Pope's endeavour to restore Wilfride, Archbishop of York, and told the Pope's Nuncios, that he "honoured them as his parents, for their grave lives and venerable afpects; but that "he would not give any affent to their legation; because it was against reason that a perfon once condemned by the whole English council fhould be reftored upon the Pope's letter;" and the Archbishop was not reinstated till he quitted the monafteries of Hengefthill, Dean, and Ripon. " Fidelitatem facere nolui nec volo," faid William the Conqueror. William II. maintained his right of the inveftiture of the Bishops, and forbad all appeals to, or intercourse with, Rome. Henry the First and Second, John, and other princes, contefted, and often felt the weight of the Papal power. Edward the First particularly availed himself of the Avignon fchifm, to deprefs the ufurpa tion. Some of these princes appear to have difputed the spiritual, as well as temporal pretenfions of the Popes, artfully and fuccessfully maintained as they were. See Matthew Paris, Hift. Mag. p. 82, 83, 101, 104. and Wilkins's Concil. Mag. Brit. t. i. p. 434.

the

the fecond, as it re-established the Church of
Christ, as exifting in this country, on the ba
fis of a spiritual kingdom, fubject in civil con-
cerns to the civil power.
In the third, as it
restored the Miniftry to the legitimate object
of their profeffion; the establishment of
truth.

The evils difplayed in curfory description in the preceding part of this difcourfe, as the fatal confequences of thofe ambitious contests of fuperiority which gradually changed the character of Chrift's kingdom, exhibit but an imperfect fketch of the difgraceful circumftances which the fucceffive fcenes of history difclofe. By nothing could they be so effectually counteracted, as by the adoption of the important principle of the independency every Church in its national character; as fubject to no fpiritual head but Chrift; as conceding no fuperiority, and claiming no pre-eminence of jurifdiction; as authorised to frame its own laws, and to regulate its own government. This principle it is, which, while it tends to reduce the different affemblies of Chrift's Difciples to the level of that equality which He established, excludes all emulation. but that of fidelity to his fervice, and disclaims every idea of mutual animofity and perfecu

of

tion;

1

tion; which, while it acknowledges no paftor of an univerfal Church, limited to mortal exertions, fubmits the preservation of the purity of the individual establishment to the vigilance of its immediate guardians, responfible for the integrity of the faith, the common pledge committed to the custody of all, only to Chrift and his univerfal Church, and restricted in the regulation of the exterior regimen of the fociety only by orders of neceffary institution, and confiderations of local expediency; which, while it recedes merely from a nominal centre, preferves its appointed orbit, violating no connection of Catholic union, deranging no system of general harmony.

This important principle, grounded on the effential character of a fpiritual kingdom, and confecrated by the fanction of the Apostles and first ages, was the foundation laid by our Reformers, to authorise those changes by which they fought to restore the image and decayed character of the Primitive Church. In the language of early and unadulterated truth they declared, that "all "the Apoftles were equal, and all the Bifhops were alfo equal, fince the whole

* Con. Nic. Can. vi. Concil. Conft. c. 3.

"office

"office and epifcopate was one entire thing, "of which every Bifhop had a complete and equal fhare *" Anxious to exhibit in the excellency of their renewed Church a conformity to the pureft model, they withdrew not from the original platform of the Catholic faith, but from the innovations of modern corruption. Cordial to maintain the fellowship of general fanctity, they prefumed not to reprefent the light of falvation as beaming only within the restricted limits of a national establishment, but confidered all who were united by one bap"tifm" to " one faith," as common Difciples of "one Lord," common members of one Church †.

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This principle, however, when adopted in its most extenfive fenfe, did not give any countenance to unneceffary revolutions or divifions; fince, though it admitted the right of every community to withdraw from effential and fundamental fundamental corruptions, and to establish and regulate its own ecclefiaftical difcipline, it furnished no apo

* Cyprian. de Unitate. Burnet, Vol. I. b. ii. fol. 138. Collyer's Collect. of Records, Vol. II. fol. 18.

Nowell's Catechifm, p. 96. Acts, ch. x. Gal. ch. vi. ver. 15, 16. Ephef. ch. iv. ver. 5. ver. 11, 12. Matt. ch. xxviii. ver. 19.

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ver. 34, 35. Col. ch. iii.

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logy for caufelefs feparation or wanton dif turbance of general conftitutions: it did not fet up the individual congregation in oppofition to the Catholic Church, nor erect private judgment as commenfurate to the deliberate decifion of the fpiritual authority. Confecrated on the ground of religious liberty, it became the bafis of toleration, and produced immediate effects in the indulgence conceded to congregations of foreigners in this country*; though indeed a farther extenfion of its import was neceffary to embrace the rights of the individual fubject to the enjoyment of an unfettered confcience, and to that uncontrolled freedom of worship which is now allowed.

The retrofpect of the corruptions of the Romish Church which has been made, may serve alfo to illuftrate the important advantages which could not but refult from fubjecting to lawful control a powerful and ambitious clergy, who, fkreened under formidable protection, and claiming exemption from civil courts †, had been tempted to the indulgence

As that of John A-lafco, and the French and Walloon Churches. See Burnet and Clarendon's Hift. vol. ii. p. 174. † An oath was impofed on Stephen, that ecclefiaftical perfons and caufes should be fubject only to the jurifdiction of the

bishop.

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