its The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VII. K. Chartes I. Relayed, "That the feveral conttitutions and canons ecclefiaftical, r6 " treated upon by the archbi(Itops of Canterbury and York, prefidents " of the convocations for their refpeitive provinces, and theyre(t of the " bithops and clergy of thofe provinces, and agreed upon with the " king's majefly's licence, in their feveral fynods begun at London and York, 1640. do not bind the clergy or laity of theland, or either " of them. Relayed, " That the feveral conflitutions and canons made and agreed " to in the convocations or fynods abovementioned, do contain in them " many matters contrary to the king's prerogative, to the fundamental ", laws and ftatutes of this realm, to the rights of parliament, to the " property and liberty of the fubjet, and matters tending to fedition, " and of dangerous confequence. Refolved, " That the feveral grants of benevolences or contributions, " granted to his molt excellent =jetty by the clergy of the provinces of Canterbury and York, in the feveral convocations or fynods holden at London and York; in the year 1640. are contrary to the laws, and ought not to bind the clergy." Remarks. If the firft of thefe refolutions be agreeable to law, I apprehend: there were then no canons fubfifting, for thofe of 1603. were not brought into parliament, but being made in a parliamentary convocation, were ratified by the king under the great Peal, and fo became binding on the clergy, according to the flame of the a5th of king HenryVIII. In the Saxon times all ecclefiaftical laws and confritutions were confirmed by the peers, and by the reprefentatives of the people ; but thofe great councils, to which our parliaments fucceed, being made up of laicks and ecclefi- afticks, were afterwards feparated, and then the clergy did their bufinefs by themfelves, and enacted laws without confirmation of king or par- liament, during the reign of popery, till the aft of thefubnyion of the clergy to king Henry VIII. fo that the claim of making canons without the fanition of parliament, feemed to Rand upon no other foundation than the ufurped power of the pope ; nor did the parliaments of thofe times yield up their right, for in the Sift of Edward III. the commons paffed a bill, that no ait or ordinance fhould be made for the future upon the petition of the clergy, without content of the commons; and that thePaid commons fhould not be bound for the future by any confiitu- tions of the clergy, to which they had not given their contint in parlia- ment. But the bill being dropt, things went on upon the former foot till the reign of king Henry VIII. when the pope's ufurped power be- ing aboli(hed, both parliament and clergy agreed (by the asti of jab- mon) that no canons fhould be binding without the royal affent; and that the clergy in convocation fhould not fo much as confult about any
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