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fered any Honours, that they could confer, to one who had fo highly deferved of them. He certainly may rightfully claim the firft Place in our SyNOD, who by Divine Incitement ftrenuously endeavoured, by Divine Favour happily effected this, That SYNODS in this Nation are not altogether loft and dead, nor intirely Speechless.

Indulge me, Fathers, if I trace this Matter fomething higher; nothing fhall I fay to detract from your Dignity, to which I bear the deepest and fincereft Veneration; nothing to revive ancient Differences, to which I have the utmost Abhorrence.

The Convention of the Bishops and Clergy had been now for fome Years interrupted. The Meetings of the States in Parliament for the Management of the Affairs of the Common-Wealth were frequent; all this Time there were no Meetings of the Bishops and their Clergy, for the Promotion of the Good of the Church. I don't fay, I don't think, that this was done with an evil Intent; nay, I am apt to believe, that it proceeded from an Affection to the Church, from a pious Fear of Differences, and an ardent Defire for the Prefervation of Peace: But however, many Perfons, who neither wanted Honesty nor Forefight, thought that this Intermiffion of Convocations would one Time or other prove of the greatest Disadvantage to the Church. They were under great Apprehenfions, that what they knew was begun by the beft of Princes, and with the beft Advice, might by a worfe Prince, who had worse Designs, be turned to the Destruction of the Church. In the mean time many new monftrous Doctrines are daily publifhed; many Herefies diffuse their poifonous Principles with Impunity; Reproaches and Blaf

Blafphemies, fhameful to utter, and horrible to hear, are freely vented against the Priesthood, against Things Sacred, and the most Holy Name of GOD himself. The Authority of a Convocation had formerly given a proper and prefent Antidote against thefe Plagues. All good Men implore this Affiftance; without this they think we muft utterly defpair of preferving and defending Religion in these Nations.

Such was the State of Affairs, when this very Learned Perfon thought it proper to place The Rights, Powers and Privileges of an English Convocation in an open and true Light, and to ftrengthen them with all the Force they could receive from Laws and Cuftom. With this View he fearches carefully into the Ancient Monuments of the Church, then covered with Duft and Obfcurity, rightly thinking that the Manner and Method of Convening, the Rules and Laws of holding Convocations, was not to be drawn from the modern Difcourfes of Men, nor from the Memory of us, or our Fathers; but from the Commentaries of the Ancients, the Edicts of Kings, and the Regifters of Popes. For this Purpose he got into his Poffeffion, with great Labour and Coft, many loofe and fcattered Manufcripts, almoft obliterated by Time, which he carefully read again and again. By the Affiftance of these hefirft ventured to tread a Way involved with Darknefs, covered with Thorns, and perplexed with. Intricacies, without any Guide to conduct him, without any Footsteps of former Travellers to direct him. But he, relying on the Strength and

The Title of Dr.Atterbury's Book in Aufwer to Dr. Wake's State of the Church, and Clergy of England, fol. 1703.

Powers

Powers of his Genius, and inflamed with the Zeal for the Discovery of Truth, unwound all these Mazes, however difficult and perplexed; Things in themselves obfcure he brighten'd, the doubtful reduc'd to Certainty, and polished the unornamental. He by drawing away the Veil, exhibited to publick View and Admiration the ancient Face of the Church. In his Writings we with Joy behold her very Picture drawn in proper Colours, and exactly agreeable to the true Features and Lineaments of the Original; and how will that Joy and Veneration be increased, when we fhall view the Matron herself before us, reviv'd as it were from the Dead, breathing, fpeaking! Much fhould I injure one endeared to me by the strictest Rules of Friendship, much efteemed from frequent Trials of his Integrity, if I did not believe his frequent and folemn Affeverations, that he did not engage in this Great Work out of any Defire of Innovations, any private Refentments,

or

meaner Views of Intereft, but merely for the Good and Advantage of the Church. Neither fhould I act the human, faithful or juft Part, did I not endeavour to fix in the Minds of others that Character and Opinion of Him, which is intirely rooted in my own; and which I did not rafhly take up from flight Conjectures, but from an intimate Acquaintance and long Experience. This Recommendation would be too invidious, and more uneafy to Him than any one befides, fhould I fay that he never err'd, never was mistaken in fo long a Work, never let fome Words in the Heat of his Pen pafs from him, which he would not willingly have recalled upon cooler Reflections. Should I fay that he has not often nor grofly err'd,. nor willingly drawn others into Mistakes; should

I pofi

I pofitively affert that there are many Things in these Writings that merit the highest Praife, few that want any Allowances of Excufe, none but what Men of Humanity might eafily pardon; I should in that utter my own Opinion, and, if I am not deceived by too great a Fondness of Friendfhip, the Opinion of all impartial Judges too. Be there then room left for Pardon, for Praise, for Gratitude. If fome fharp, warm or free Expreffions have escaped him, a Reader of any Humanity will not attribute them to Envy, Refentment, or Arrogance, but to a Temper of itself too warm, or perhaps to Paffion eafily pardonable in a Soldier who contended for all that is dear to Us, in a Son endeavouring to refcue his Mother from Injury and Violence. But if there is an Overbalance of Beauties in his Writings, if he has treated of Things in themselves difficult, useful, pleafing; if he has confirmed them by the ftrongest Arguments, if he has imprinted them in the Minds of the Readers by a Purity and Perfpicuity of Stile, it is fit that he receive the Applaufe due to Learning from Men of Letters, from the Eloquent the Honour due to Eloquence. If he has bravely afferted the Privileges and Liberties of CONVOCATIONS at the Hazard of his own Fortune, if he has preferr'd the publick Advantage to his private Intereft, let the CLERGY make fome Returns at leaft, to the Affertor of The Rights of the Clergy. May this Man, of equal Penetration and Diligence in the Management of Bufinefs, receive this moft proper Reward of his Services, the Opportunity of acting in a larger Sphere, where he may exert all his Powers of Arts and Genius, in contriving, promoting, and confirming the Peace of the Church.

With what Applaufe has he often preached before the People, the Magiftrates, the Clergy, the Senate, and the Court! How often has the late Queen MARY (now gathered to the Saints above) been charmed with his Eloquence! And what Address did he use in tempering the Soul of her Sifter, who ftill furvives (and by the Bleffing of Heaven may fhe long do fo!) when fhe was almost oppreffed and overcome by her late Affliction.* has long fupported with Dignity the different and diftinct Offices of a Preacher, Canon, Arch-Deacon, and Dean, fo may he with the fame Virtues, the fame Eloquence, the fame universal Approbation, adorn this Chair as PROLOCUTOR, who will (if I prophecy right) fome Time or other adorn one in a greater and more honourable Sta

tion.

As he

The present State of Affairs certainly promifes Us every Thing that is likely to redound to the Advantage and Glory of The Church of England, from the Inclination of the People, the Zeal of the Ministry, the Piety of the best of QUEENS, and the closeft Agreement between the Civil and Ecclefiaftical Powers. There ever was a near Affinity between the House of Commons, and the Lower Houfe of Convocation, a Refemblance fuch as is ufual between Sifters, with fome Diversity: But from this Time there will be a nearer Relation between them, while † two Perfons educated together in the fame College (ever fruitful of the best Sciences) under the fame Prelate of bleffed Memory, happily inftructed in the fame Princi

The Death of Prince GEORGE.

t Mr. Bromley and Dr. Atterbury both of Chrift-Church, Oxon. Bishop Fell,

ples

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