170 The L I F E of the Part Il í Becaufe elfe it would change the very conftitution of the Kingdcm, by miking all the inferiour Officers inalterable, and fo to be effential conftitutive parts : Whereas only the pars Imperans and pars Sutdita are conftitutive parts of every Kingdom, or Republick, and the Conftitutive pars Imperans is only the fumma pa- tellas except where the mixture and fundamental Contraa is filch, as that Inferiour Officers,are woven fo into the Conititution,as that they maynot be changed without it's Diflblution, which ishardly to be fuppofed, even at Venice. TheOaths between the fumma potefias and the Snblee, are the bonds of the Commonwealth ; their Union being the form, that mutt not be diffoived : But to makeOaths of Allegiance, or Unchangeahlenefs, reach to the inferiour Magiftrates or Officers, is to change the Government or Conttitution. 3. And fo it deftroyeth the Regal power, in one of it's chief properties or pre- rogatives, which is to alter inferiourOfficers ; who all receive their power from the Supreme, and are alterable by him (even by the Maleflas which Nth the Legiflative powers. ) And this would take away all the King's power to alter fo much as a Mayor, Jufticeor Conflable. For, mark, that Government of the King- dom [ ioCrutch andSate ] are fet equally togetherwithout any note of diffeienee, as toalteration : If therefore it extend to any but the Supreme, even to inferiour Officers, it were to extend to them as Governing the State ( even to the lowest ) as well as the Church. But this is ä feppoltion tobe Contemned. 4. And if the Diftinaion fhottld be meant de perfcniu Imperantibue, and Ihouid intend only [ B+Ihops and King] by [ Church andState] t. It would fuppofe that King andParliament do take [ Bifhops and King] for two coordinate ,Meads, M governing the Kingdom, z. And that they fet theBifhops beforethy King ; which is not to be fuppofed. 5. And toput all out of queftion, the Oath is but Conform to former Statutes, Oaths, Articles of Religion and Canons, 1. The Statutes which declare the King tobe only Supreme Governour of the Church, I need not cite. a. The Oathof Supretnacy is well known of all, 3' The very firft Canon is, that the Arch-Bithop of Canterbury and all Bithops, &c. thall faithfully keep, and obferve all the Laws for the King's Supremacy overtheChurch of England, in caufes Ecclefiaftical : And the ad. Canon is to condemn the dangers of it. And the 36. Canon obligeth all Mi- nifters to fubfcribe that the Kings 1plajefty under God is the only Supreme Governour of this Realm as well in all Jp£ritual and Eeclefiaflical things or caufes as temporal: And (as the Parliament are called the Reprefentative of the People or Kingdom as diftinf from the blead,fo) the 139. Canon escommunicateth all them that affirm [ that the Sacred Synodofthis Naticn,in the Name ofChrift and by the King's Authority Aflembled is not the true Church of England by Reprefentation : So that theyclaim to bebut the Reprefentative of the Church as it is the Bodydiftine from the Head Chrift, and the Kingas their chief Governour. 4. Add all that are Ordained are Iikewife to take the Oath of Supremacy [" I do utterly teftify and declare in " my Confcience that the King's Highnefs is the only Supreme Governour of this "Realm- ---as well in allSpiritual or Eccleûaftical things or Cvnfes, as Temporal, ] 5. And it is alfo inferted in the Articles of Religion, Art. 35. And it is added expofitorily ["Where we attribute to the Queen's Majefcy the Chief Government "(bywhich title we underftand the mindsoffome Ilanderous folks to be offended ) "we give not to our Princes the Miniftring either of God's Word, or ofthe Sa- "craments but that only prerogative which we fee to have been given always " to all Godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himfelf, that is, that they fhonld " rule all Eftates and Degrees committed to their Charge by God, whether they " be Ecclegaftcal or Temporal, and reftrain with the Civil Sword, the Stubborn " and evil Doers.] Here it is to benoted,that, though, no doubt, but the Keys of Excommunication and abfolution belong to the Paftors, and to the Civil Magi - ftrate, yet, the Law, and this Article, by the word [ Government] meanonly [Co- ercive Government by the Sword] and do include the power of the Keys under the title of [ Minifring the Word and Sacraments, ] Church Guidance being indeed nothing elfe but the Explicationand Application of God's word to Cafes and Con- fciences, and adminiftring the Sacraments accordingly. So that as in the veryAr- ticle of Religion, SupremeGovernment, appropriated to the King only, is contra- diftinguilh'dfrom [ Minifiring the Word and Sacraments,] which is not called Go- vernment there, fo are we to underftand this Law and Oath: And many Learned. Men think, .hat Guidance is a fitter name than Government for the Paftor'sOfiicy , And
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