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been long ago told by good authority, that from their fruits ye shall know them; and I confidently affirm what nobody will deny, that the mild spirit of the British constitution never will be difgraced by the intolerance and perfecution of thofe, who know the use of no other, than the spiritual weapons of St. Paul to propagate their doctrine, who recommend the truth of it by their meeknefs, humility, and peaceable fubmiffion to the powers of the ftate, and command respect by the charity they practife towards their neighbour, and the edifying example of their own innocency.

As God has left the choice and form of government to each community, fo has he given to each community, the neceffary powers and means for its own prefervation, which in their nature must be variable, that they may fit and be fuitable, to that indefinite variety of circumstances and occafions, which in the occurrences and fates of empires are poffible to arife. Dr. Kippis in his fermon upon the centenary commemoration of the revolution has expreffed an idea highly liberal in its tendency, and which if carried into execution would perhaps add the most lasting security to the peace, welfare, and profperity of our excellent conftitution.

Dr. Kippis's Sermon, p. 29.

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may be reserved for the farther glory of this reign to abolish all penal laws in matters of religion, and to put every man on the fair footing of being anfwerable to God only for his confcience, while he gives fecurity for his civil allegiance and peaceable behaviour, as a member of the community."

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CONCLUSION.

If my undertaking, tas obliged me
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N the variety of matter, which the nature of undertaking has obliged me to touch upon, I have unintentionally exceeded the limits, to which I originally meant to confine myself. The importance however of the queftions themfelves will, I hope, fcreen me from the imputation of prolixity. I have throughout the work endeavoured to make a faithful and candid reprefentation of every fact, that I had occafion to speak of; if any however shall be found to have been mifconceived or misreprefented, I folemnly disavow the intention of misleading others, though I may have erred myself.

Attempts have been lately made with much rancour and much infolence to mifrepresent and vilify our conftitution. I have exerted my

humble efforts to counteract them; and I fhall ever boast of my wishes to represent to my countrymen the conftitution of this kingdom as the most perfect work of human polity. If in the gradual formation of it, we have been more fortunate or more wife, than our neighbours, we may also still boast of being the foremost towards attaining the highest poffible perfection

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perfection of civil government. We have a bafis ftill to work and improve upon, formed of the venerable materials of millennial experience, which time and circumstances have cemented, fettled, and incorporated into a body of the most durable folidity. A bafis widely different from those composed of the crumbling plaister of Paris, upon which the modern ftate architects have been unable to erect with stability the flightest temporary fuperftructure.

The alliance which our conftitution has instituted between church and ftate has obliged me to enter further into the topic of religion, than a mere differtation upon the civil conftitution of a country might feem to require. I am aware of the extreme difficulty of treating religious fubjects in a manner fatisfactory to all perfons. It has neither been my province nor my intention to difcufs the merits of any religious perfuafion whatever; and if any reflection or observation have escaped me, that can displease or offend the theologians

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of any religious

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I am fenfible, that in quoting the authorities of fome of our conftitutional and legal writers, I have fometimes adopted phrases, which may not stand the fevere ordeal of theological precision: for instance, it is ufually faid, that the king of England appoints bishops, &c. now neither in legal, conflitutional, nor theological accuracy, is this word appoint proper; because it is not confonant with the fact. For if by the word appoint we are to understand the gift or collation of real fpiritual power or jurifdiction, which the act of confecration gives not, and which confifts in the power of commanding in fpiritual matters under pain of fin, fpiritually

cenfuring

religious fociety, I truft in the spirit of that christian meeknefs, to which they all lay claim, that the unintended offence will be forgiven. But if in tracing and difcuffing the principles of civil government, I have endeavoured to caution my countrymen against the effects of certain political doctrines, which have already proved fundamentally injurious to our constitution, I have done it from the conviction, that as the English conftitution is not repugnant to the faith of a true chriftian, so principles fubverfive of this conftitution cannot have been revealed by the divine author of that faith. I no more attribute these turbulent and anarchical principles to the doctrines and faith of any society

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cenfuring and excommunicating, &c. it is evident, that the law veits no fuch prerogative, right, or power in the crown. For upon the avoidance of a bishoprick, by ftatute 25 H. VII. c. 20. the king (Bl. vol. i. p. 379) fends to the dean and chapter his usual licence to proceed to election, called the congè d'elire, which was the conftant usage for many centuries before the reformation; and this congè d'elire is accompanied with a letter miffive from the king, containing the name of the perfon, whom he would have them elect; and if the dean and chapter delay their election above twelve days, the nomination shall devolve to the king, who may by letters patent appoint fuch perfon, as he pleafes. This election or nomination, if it be of a bishop, muft be fignified by the king's letters patent to the archbishop of the province; if it be of an archbishop to the other archbishop and two bifhops, or to four bishops, requiring them to confirm, inveft, ana confecrate the perfon fo elected." This confirmation, inveftiture, and confecration are the acts, by which the conAitution fuppofes the real fpiritual jurifdiction to be conferred upon the bishop. Before the reformation this confirmation and inveftiture were made by the bishop of Rome, as the Roman catholics held him to be the fpiritual fupreme ad of their church, and from him deduced the gradations and regularity of their hierarchy. But though the nation have renounced that religion, and have transferred to their king whatever part of the headship of the civil eltablishment

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