"der of fome Methods how to heal the "Wounds of the Church, and to establish "a perpetual Peace among us. What they fhould agree upon, to be confider'd o"over again by the more confummate Wif dom of a Convocation: And what these "fhould confent to, fhould be establish'd "firft by the Synodical, and afterwards by "the Parliamentary Authority.

This was certainly very reasonable Advice, and of no fmall Moment to the Church, as it took off the Objection of a Parliamentary Religion, an Objection which the Papifts have urged with all their force of Argument and Wit. I fhall not confider whether the Roman Catholicks way of Reafoning is juft, it being fufficient to fay, that they imputed it as an high Scandal to the Church of England, to owe its Settlement to fuch a Hand; and therefore the mitigation of that Scandal was wresting an Arrow out of the Quiver of the Enemy, or at leaft rendring it incapable of wounding when it was thrown. Befide, that this prudent Course which Dr. TILLOTSON advised, feemed the most probable of any to take Effect, as not irritating the Spirits of Men by leffening their Authority on either Side, the Ecclefiaftical and Civil Powers being both preferved in their Rights, and exercifing their diftinct Provinces by this Method which he prefcribed. How much

Con

Controverfy and Contention do we here fee vanish into nothing! only by putting Business in the proper Channel it should flow in, which a lefs warm Head might have easily confounded, and got a Reputation too for doing either Party fo confiderable a Service, as engaging them in a Quarrel. But I believe I need not urge the wife Management of this worthy Perfon any farther, as an Argument of his Respect to the Church, or his tender Regard to her Authority. Dr. CALAMY * and fure the Words of an Enemy may be ufeful, fays, That it was a very bad piece of Advice, and would infinuate to his Readers, as if the Adviser himself repented it afterwards. But till he can find a better Reafon for it, than his bare Conjecture, we ought to believe, that the Man who was honeft enough to give fuch good Counsel, had before confidered the Matter fo well, as to take care that it fhould never give him any other uneafiness, than what arofe from its want of Success.

The King, in compliance to this Advice, fummoned a Convocation, and issued out another Commiffion to Thirty Divines to prepare Matters to be laid before the Convocation, in this Affair of the COMPRE

* Vid. His Abridgment of Mr. Baxter's Life, pag. 446.`

HENSION. It may not be improper, con, fidering the great Share Dr. TILLOTSON had in this Bufinefs, to infert the Commitfion in this Place, which is as follows:

The New Ecclefiafti-, cal Commilion.

66

W

HEREAS the particular Forms "of Divine Worship, and the "Rites and Ceremonies appointed to be u"fed therein, being Things in their own "Nature indifferent and alterable, and fo " acknowledg'd, it is but reasonable, that upon weighty and important Confidera"tions, according to the various exigencies "of Times and Occafions, fuch Changes 66 and Alterations fhould be made therein, as "to thofe that are in Place and Authority, "fhould from time to time feem either neceffary or expedient.

"And whereas the Book of Canons is "fit to be reviewed, and made more fuita"ble to the State of the Church. And "whereas there are Defects and Abuses in "the Ecclefiaftical Courts and Jurifdicti❝ons; and particularly, there is not fuffi"cient Provifion made for the removing "of fcandalous Minifters, and for the re" forming of Manners either in Ministers

66

or People; and whereas it is most fit "that there fhould be a ftrict Method "prefcrib'd for the Examination of fuch "Perfons as defire to be admitted into Ho"ly Orders, both as to their Learning and Manners.

We

"We therefore, out of our Pious, and "Princely Care for the good Order and "Edification, and Unity of the Church of "England, committed to our Charge and "Care; and for the reconciling, as much "as is poffible, of all Differences among "our good Subjects; and to take away all "Occafion of the like for the future, have "thought fit to authorize and impower 66 you, c. and any Nine of you, whereof "Three to be Bishops, to meet from "time to time, as often as fhall be need"ful, and to prepare fuch Alterations of "the Liturgy and Canons, and fuch Pro "posals for the Reformation of Ecclefiafti"cal Courts; and to confider of fuch other "Matters as in your Judgments may most ❝ conduce to the Ends above-mention'd.

Ten of the Commiffioners were then Bifhops, viz. Dr. LAMPLUGH Arch-Bishop of Tork, Dr. COMPTON, Dr. MEW, Dr. LLOYD, Dr. SPRAT, Dr. SMITH, Sir JoNATHAN TRELAWNY, Dr. BURNET, Dr. HUMFREYS, and Dr. STRATFORD, who were the Bishops of London, Winchester, St. Asaph, Rochester, Carlile, Exeter, Salisbury, Bangor, and Chefter. Twenty other Dignitaries were added to them; as Dr. STILLINGFLEET, Dr. PATRICK, Dr. TILLOTSON, Dr. MEGGOT, Dr. SHARPE, Dr. KIDDER, Dr. ALDRICH, Dr. JAne, Dr. HALL,

G4

HALL, Dr. BEAUMONT, Dr. MOUNTAGUE, Dr.GOODMAN, Dr. BEVERIDGE, Dr.BatteLY, Dr.ALSTON, Dr. TENNISON, Dr.SCOTT, Dr. FOWLER, Dr. GROVE, and Dr. WIL

LIAMS.

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σε

Dr. NICHOLS thus proceeds, "The "Reverend Perfons do now forthwith ap ply themselves to the Bufinefs which "was laid before them, and begin their "/Work with a Review of the Common"Prayer Book. And firft of all the Ca"lendar comes under Examination, from "whence the Apocryphal Leffons are ex"punged, and Chapters out of the Cano

nical Books are fubftituted to be read in "their room. The Creed which is call'd "Athanafius's, because it is found fault "with by fome Perfons by reafon of the

Damnatory Sentences, is permitted to "be chang'd for the Apoftles Creed at the "difcretion of the Minifter. The Collect's "throughout the whole courfe of the Year "are revis'd, most of them being made anew, and render'd more fuitable to the

แ

Epiftles and Gofpels of the Day; and this "with fo much Elegance and Purity of Stile, with fo much pious Force and Ar"dor, as nothing could tend more to excite Devotion in the Minds of the Hearers,