Chap. VII. The HISTORYof thePuRIrANS. 653 " before recited) and every branch in them are, jufi and orthoddx and, KCharles I. " moderate, and moll: neceffary for the prefent condition of the church X640 " of England, how unwelcome foever to the prefent diftempers." Lord tM: Clarendon expreffes himfelf modefily on the other fide ; he doubts whe- ther the convocation was a legal affembly after the diffolution of the par- liament, and is very Pure that their proceedings are not to be juftified ;. " the convocation-houle (lays he) which is the regular and legal atfemb- " ling of the clergy, was after the.determination of the parliament, conti- " oued by a newwrit under the proper title of a fynod, made canons " which it was thought it might do, and gave fubfidiesout ofparliament, " and enjoined oaths, whichcertainly it might not do; in a word, did ma- " ny things which in the bell of times might have been quefiioned, and " therefore were lure to be condemned in the worft." The parliament which fat after the reftoration was of the fame mind with his lordfhip,._ forafmuch as thefe canons were excepted out of the at of 13 Car. IL. cap. 12. and declared of no validity. Mr. Eachard is of opinion that the fynod that framed thefe canons, was not a legal reprefentativeof the . clergy after the diffolution of the two houles. But bithop Kennet in Kennet, his complete hifiory lays, that thefe public cenfures of the canons were p. 113, grounded upon prejudice and faction ; that it is hard to find any defeâ of legality in the making them ; and that if thefe canons are not bind- ing, wehave no proper canons fence the reformation ; he therefore woes them or tome others like them revived, becaufe in very much ofdobirine and difcipline they are a good example to any future convocation ; and that we can hardly hopefor unity or any tolerable regularity without fume con- flitutions of the like nature. Strange ! that a dignified clergyman who held his bishopric upon revolution principles, fhould with the fubverfion of the conftitution of his country, and declare for principles of perfecution. If I might have liberty to with, it fhould be that neither we or our pof- terity may ever enjoy the blefings of unity and regularity upon the foot of fuch canons. Upon the fame day that the houfe paffed the above-mentioned refold- r rcib:? /bop tions againft the canons, feveral warm fpeeches were made againft the Laud im archbithop of Canterbury as the chief author of them; and a committee robbed °f htL treafn: was appointed to enquire more particularly, how far his grace had been Dec, ìb.. concerned in the proceedings of the convocation, and in the trealonable defign of fubverting the religion and laws- of his country ; in order to draw up articles againft him. Next day the earl of Briflol acquainted- the houfe of lords, that theféots commoners had prefented fome papers. againft the archbithopof Canterbury, whichwere read by the lord Paget,, and then reported to the houle of commons at a conferencebetween the two. houfes.. Their charge .confiffed of divers grievances (which hadoc- cafionedi
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