156 The L I FE of the LIB. j. r. About Fafts and Feafts, theQueftion as referring to the Obligation of the Laws of the Land, is of the fame Refòlution as all other Queftionsrefpeéing thofe' Laws ; which being a Cafe more out of my way, I fhall not prefume to deter- mine without aclearer Call. Only I muft fay that I fee little Reafon why thofe Men fhould think themfelves bound in this who yet fuppofethemfelvesloofefrom many otherLaws, and who obey many Of the Laws or Ordinances of the prefect Powers. z. I much fear 'that not only the Querift, but many more are muchenfnared in their Confciences, by mifunderftanding the Nature and ufe of Synods. It's one thing for an Affembly of Bifhops to have a fuperior Governing Power dire&Iy over all particular Churches and Bithops; and another thing for fach an Affembly to have a Power ofdetermining of things neceffary for the Concord of the leve- ral Churches. I never yes faw it proved that Synods are over Bithops in a di- re& Governing Order, nor are called for fuch Ends ; but properly in ordine adUni- tatem, and fo oblige only ( more than fingle Bithops ) by Virtue of. the General Precept, of maintaining Unify and Concord: This is theOpinion of the molt learned Bifhop and famous 'antiquary that I am acquainted with. .3. And then when the end ceafes, the Obligation is at an End. So that this cannow be no Law of Unitywith us. 4. All human Laws die with the Legiflator, farther than the furviving Rulers (hall continue them. the Reafon is drawn from the Nature of a Law, which is to be jsffumMajeflatia, in the Common-wealth, and every where to be a fignof the Rectors Will de debito, vet eonfitaendo, vel confermando: Or his Authoritative Determination of what (hall be due from us and to us. Therefore no Redor, no Law : and'the Law that is, though madeby the deceafed Re&or, is not his Law, but the prefent Redor's Law,- formally ; it being the lignifier of his Will: And it is his Will for the continuance of it, that gives-it a new Life. In all this'I fpeak of the wholeSumma poreJlarthat bath the abfolute Legiflative Power. If therefore the ChurchGovernors be dead that made thefe Laws, and no fufficient Power fuc- ceeds them tocontinue thefeLaws andmake them theirs, then they aredead with their Authors. g. The prefent Paftors of the Church ( though but Presbyters) are the true Guides of it, while Bilhops are abfent ( and the true Guides conjundly with the Bifhops, if they were prefent, according to the Judgment of your own fide). Whoever is the foie exiltentgoverning Power, maygovern, and muff be obeyed in things Lawful. Therefore you muff ( for all your unproved Accufation of N Schifm) obey them. The Death ór Depofitionof the Bifhops depriveth not the Presbyters of that Power which they had before. 6. Former Church Governors haveriot Power to bind all that (hall come after them, where they were before free But their Followers are as free as they were. 7. The Nature ofChurch Canons is to determineof Circumftances only for a prefent time, placeor occalion, and not to be'univerfal ftanding Laws, to all Ages of the Church : For if fuch Determinations had been fit, God would have made them himfelf, and They would have been contained in his perfect Word. He giver not his Legillative Power to Synods or Bifhops. 8. Yet if your Confcience will needs perfuade you.lo ufe thofe Ceremonigs, you haveno ground to feparatefrom all that will not be ofyour Opinion. 9. -For the Crofs, the Canons require only the Mini ter to ufe it, and not you : and if hedo not, that's nothing to you. ro. Have you impartially read what is writtenagainft the Lawfulnefs of it, by dmeJiue'sfrefh Suit, Bradfhaw, Parker, and others : If youhave : you may at leaft fee this that it's no fit matter to place the Churches Unity or Uniformity in : and they that will make fuch Laws for Unity -go beyond their Commiffion. ChurchGovernors are to determine the Circumftances pro loco& tempore in partí- cular, which God bathin Word or Nature made neceffary in genere, and left to their Determination. But when Men will prefume beyond this, to determine (+things not indeed circumftantial, or no wayneceffary ingenre nor left to their Determination (as to institute new Banding Symbols in and with God's Symbols or Sacraments; tobe engaging Signs to engage us toChrift, and to Work Grace on the Soul as the Word and Sacraments do, that is by amoral Operation) and their will needs make thefe the Cement of Unity ; . this is it that bath been the Baneof and Caufe ofDivifions. rr. Kneeling
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