I suppose his lordship thinks there is some original impediment in the study of divinity, or secret incapacity in a gown and cassock without lawn, which disqualifies all inferiour clergymen, from debating upon subjects of doctrine or discipline in the church. It is a famous saying of his, that he looks upon every layman, to be an honest man, until he is by experience convinced to the contrary; and on every clergyman, as a knave, until he finds him to he an honest man. What opinion then must we have of a lower house of convocation; where, I am confident, he will hardly find three persons that ever convinced him of their honesty, or will ever be at the pains to do it? Nay, I am afraid they would think such a conviction might be no very advantageous bargain, to gain the character of an honest man with his lordship, and lose it with the rest of world.
In the famous concordate that was made between Francis I of France, and pope Leo X, the bishop tells us, that the king and pope came to a bargain, by which they divided the liberties of the Gallican church between them, and indeed quite enslaved it. He intends in the third part of his history, which he is going to publish, to open this whole matter to the world. In the mean time he mentions some ill consequences to the Gallican church from that concordate, which are worthy to be observed: the church of France became a slave; and this change in their constitution put an end not only to national, but even to provincial synods in that kingdom. The assemblies of the clergy there meet now only to give subsidies, &c. and he says, our nation may see by that proceeding, what it is to deliver up the essential liberties of a free constitution to a court.
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