your Honours as ye would have God to be in his worship and his blessing upon it and upon you and us in a perfect hatred of that menstruous Cloth and Garment spotted with the flesh to cast it out and all the rest as Carcases of abominable things but withall we intreat you to set the Masters of the Wardrobe on packing with them It is observed as a custom among the Papists that they bury their Prelates in all their Pontifical robes of which a learned Divine tells us he could give no reason except they meant they should do service when they were dead that had never done any thing alive If your Honours will lap up the Prelates in the Sear-cloth of their own Surplices and intomb them in the Tabernacle of the Service-book imbalmed with the strange ointment of their own Ceremonies and bury them under the Oake that is in oblivion Gen. 35.2 Verse 5. Jos 2.9 as Jacob did the Idols of his family and as our neighbours and brethren have done with the l ke stuffe then the fear of you shall be upon all your enemies and the child that is to come shall blesse God for you CHAP. XI The Objections NOw we come in the last place to remove some Objections which we shall shew to be of no great weight and therefore we use the fewer words Object 1 The first is from the antiquity of the Service-book to which Doctor Hall Sect. and others have received an answer by Smâ—ctymnuus but say it had Antiquity without truth it were no better than a custome of error Et nullum tempus occurrit Deo there is no prescription to the King of Kings Object 2 The second Objection Many good men have used it and liked it well for answer Testimonia humana non faciunt fidem Sect. Mans approbation is not current of it self but as it buts upon the faithfull witness otherwise it is an inartificial argument as Logicians call it the Patriarches used and did many things that were not approveable some good Kings of Judah as Amaziah and Johosaphat tooke not a way the High places 1 King 14 41 22 3. 2 King 18.4 to 9. were they any whit the better for that yea the suffering of them is set up as the Kings fault it were better to follow Hezekiah that took them away Master Wommock alleadgeth for the Service book that Rome is not demolished in the first day so we alleadge against it that good men in mending times did either see as far as their Horizon or at least as they durst So we have more light and are set upon their shoulders therefore it is both sin and shame for us not to see more and do more than they did Hebeziah did more than Jehosaphat and Josiah more than they both Thirdly Object 3 it is objected that it hath many good things in it that is answered already Sect. the Alcoran and Talmud have many good things in them yea the Apocrypha Books have many excellent truths in them are they therefore to be presented in Gods worship The fourth objection is from a more convenient course of correctings Object 4 of it than of cashiering of it For answer what King or Sect. State did ever yet thrive in moyling and toyling themselves to make clean the Popes leprous stuff to bring it into the worship of God but all that ever prospered in that work made utter exterpation Popes will be content to hear of reformaon and give order for it to their Cardinals but they are joyned to their Idols Hos 4 17. and God speaks of Epâ—raim let them alone Secondlâ— this is not Gods course in reforming of his House as the rubbish of the Leprous house was to be cast out into an unclean place as hath been said so polluted pieces of Idolatrous Service Rev. 14.13 are not to be brought by any cleansing into the House of God God commandeth his people to throw down the Altars of the Canaanite where under Altars are comprehended all other abominations they were not to set a new trim upon any of them but because they obeyed not the Lord they smatted for it Blessed be God who hath put it into your hearts to strike at Altars Railes Pictures Crosses and all the Popish Idols Judg 2.2 we are in good hope you will not leave a Popish Relique in the â—and neither in Church or Street and then we may be sure there shall no Canaanite dwell in our Land this scraping and picking that Master Wommock speaks of will be no better than paring of the nayles and shaving of the hair which as the Great Turke said of his Army will quickly grow again yea and grow again the faster too good medicines in natural things may be extracted out of rancke poysons but so cannot pure worship out of things polluted being mans inventions Esa 30 22 therefore the Prophet Esay tells us that nothing will serve but the casting away of the polluted thing not cleansing of it Object 5 The fifth and last Objection is from Acts of Parliament Sect. which the Service-book-men make their staff of their confidence and yet in truth being well tryed it shall be found that they abuse the state and consciences of men most grosly Doctor Hall and others strike much on that string as Parliamentary Acts peremptory establishment yet they make but very harsh Musique A man would think that Doctor Hall being a learned Divine would first have laid this worship of Liturgy in the â—allance of the Sactuary and tryed the weight of it there and if it had proved too light as surely it would then to have counted it a piacle against God and man to offer to make up the weigh with humane Lawes Iâ— is not unworthy your remembrance how one of the latter brood of the Scotish Prelates alledging or rather mis-alledging before our late Soveraign King James some Act of Parliament for the establishing and maintenance of the Prelacy the King asked a Noble man being by being a great Legist an Officer of State what he thought of those Acts The Noble-man replyed That it went never well with them since their Church-men laboured to be more versed in the Acts of Parliament than in the Acts of the Apostles But to the matter for all this cry we are more than half consident they shall have but little wooll for the Service-booke from the Acts of State when they are well looked into We know not any colour of confirmation for the Service-book 1 Eliz. c 7. except that Stature prefixed to it which how little it maketh for it let the words of the Statute testifie of which we shall set down those that are most pertinent for it is needless to write them all In the fifth and sixth years of King Edward the sixth an Act was made for the establishing of a Book called The Book of Common-Prayer the which was repealedâ—n the first year of Queen Mary which Statute of repeal was made voyd
in whose house he had lodged she not knowing then that he was a Jesuite the work-men of Pauls being hot at service he asked her how she liked that work she retorting the question asked him how he liked it he replyed exceeding well neither had he any exception to it but that it was done by their Priests We have insisted the longer in this point first that men may see that this plain evident approvement of our Liturgy by Papists is not from one singular or more indifferent Papist but from an unanimous consent of the greatest zealousest and learned'st among them Further this symbolization of Papists and Prelate-men in the name and nature of Mass and Liturgy discovers how they conspire against the Truth and those who desire to worship God in Spirit and Truth it is a true maxime Quae conveniunt in aliquo tertio conveniunt inter se dissentiunt a contrario They who agree in a third agree between themselves and dissent from the contrary If the Papists then sort with the Service-book-men in the liking of the Liturgy the Service-book-men with the Papists in the liking of the Mass and so agree betwixt themselves they must both by consequent dissent from the true worship of God which is contrary to it Lastly the Papists liking of the Service-book makes it plainly appear how little God likes it for if it were pleasing to God it would never please the Papists as the Israelites true and sincere worshipping of God was an Abomination to the Aegyptians Exod 8.26 shall we sacrifice saith Moses the abominations of the Egyptians before their eyes and will they not stone us Even so if this were the true worship of God the Papists and the Prelatical crue would never endure it but would stone tear in pieces imprison burn banish and kill with all manner of cruelty as they do and have done those that love and worship God according to his Will and as every shepherd was an Abomination to the Egyptians so there was no being for such Shepherds as would not lead out and lay down their sheep by that muddy Nilus or Egyptian water yea and not only so but they must bear false witness in proclaiming it under their hand by subscription that this stinking puddle is the River of God when indeed it is the Euphrates of Babylon by which the Soul of many grieved Ministers hath sit down with tears being forced to hang his harp upon the Babylonish willowes but if his soul loathed the practise much more the approbation then all the souls of the Mass-book-men would loath such an one and with open mouth would dart out against him the Poyson of Aspes all manner of rotten Calumnies of Sedition Tumults Schism Factions and the like not vouchsafing him his native ayre to breath in much less a calling to maintain him and his neither is this al but when these Ministers others to fly the hatred of Esau and his brood had cast themselves upon the ends of the Earth to enioy with much affliction the purity of the Ordinances yet Esau his hatred slacked not like a boyling Furnace till he cast the scum of his cruelty after them Rev. 12.15 doing them all the mischief he could in word and deed the Serpent cast not only the flood of waters out of his mouth that way after the woman but also pursued others in other parts who endeavoured to sacrifice that which God called for for proof whereof take Doctor Laud his own words This hand saith he shall reach them and threatning a Scotish-man for refusing to take the oath against his Country he laid his hand on his breast and vowed and protested as he lived he would make the hearts of all the Scots to ake and what had the Scots done to him Nothing but maintained that worship that was an abomination to him and his One instance more very pat to the purpose God having appeared to Abraham as often he did Abraham in thankfulness builded an Altar but immediately after he is said to remove to a Mountain Eastward of Bethel but what was the cause he staid not by it Gen. 12.18 The learned tell us that it was dangerous so to do for the erecting of the Altar of God was so offensive to the Idolatrous Inhabitants that it was a wonder he was not stoned of them where observe now by the way that if the Altars now erected Calvin were of God they would be an abomination to the Prelates and their Faction and dangerous for Gods people to stay by them but as they are Altars of Baal erected and maintained by Baalites and Balaamites so they and all their Ceremonial accoutrements and the Service-book it self Exod. 8.26 are an abomination witness that place of Exodus already quoted The Abominations of the Egyptians shall we sacrifice to Jehovah our God saith Moses to Pharaoh it is not meet so to do The last ground or evidence of this particular Sect. is from the undenyable testimony of King and State namely King Edward the sixth and the Councels letter to the Papists of Cornwal and Devonshire making of Commotions and Insurrections against the King and State amongst many they give this satisfaction for the Service-book that it was the very same word for word with the Mass-book the difference only was that it was in the English tongue the extract of the Letter recorded in the Acts Monuments are these as for the Service in the English tongue Vol. 2. p. 667. it perchance seems to you a new Service and yet indeed it is no other but the old the self-same words in English that were in Latine a few things taken out If the Service of the Church was good in Latine it remaineth good in English for nothing is altered but to speak with knowledge that which was spoken with ignorance we have the whole letter in Print at large for your Service we thought fit for brevity only to transcribe so much as made for the clearing of the point the sum of that which hath been said by way of open discourse we draw up in this Argument That which is word for word out of the Popish Mass-book is not to be offered to God as worship but to be abolished as an abomination to him But the Liturgy in controversie is word for word out of the Mass-book as hath been proved abundantly Therefore it is not to be offered as a worship to God but to be abolished as an abomination to him Cap. 8.26 As the latter proposition of the Argument is proved to the full so the former is as clearly by the paralelling place of Exodus twice quoted to which we will add for abundance these places following Deut. 7.25 and 12.31 2 King 23.13 Ezra 9.1 Esa 44.19 In all which places the Lord commands all Idols and Idolatrous Service to be utterly detested and abandoned and still the ground and reason is given that they are abominations to the
by this same Act the first year of Queen Elizabeth and that the aforesaid Book with the alterations and additions therein added shall stand and be and all Ministers shall use the said Book authorized by Act of Parliament in the said fifth and sixth year of King Edward the sixth and no other This is the sum of the Statute in relation to the Subject namely What Service-book is it that the Statute establisheth and for any thing we can see there is not one passage or tittle for confirmation or establishing any other Service-book but that of King Edward the sixth divers Ministers in King James his time urged with subscription answered the Prelates True it was that if they refused they should make themselves transgressours of the Laws of the Kingdome in subscribing to another Book than that established by Law the Prelates in pressing this subscription 13 Eliz cap 12. forced two Statutes namely the Statute alleadged by the change of the Book and also another Statute requiring no subscription but barely to the Articles of Religion which only concern the Confession of true Christian faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments Now to come to further answer let us grant by way of Confession that there were an Act Sect. or Acts for ratifying of the Book which in terminis we cannot see as Statutes use to be expressed yet by the Law of charity and duty we hold our selves bound to believe that a State professing the truth of Religion would never inact so for a Service-book of mans device as that it might be a snare to the People of God having other ends as a kind of uniformity supply for want of Ministery and bringing Papists to the Church but not to press it in the bulke beyond the sphear of any mans Conscience witness a Rubrick in King Edward the sixth his Book but give it to speak as punctually for the Book as they would have it shall it be simply good for that it is only in the power of a divine Statute simply to make a thing good all Divines Humanists and Lawyers that have written on the Lawes concurr in this Maxime Omnium lâ—gum inanis censura nisi divinae legis imaginem gerant August de Civit. Dei lib. 9. Cic. lib. 3. de Repub. the power of all Lawes is voyd except they bear the impression of the â—aw of God the Orator gives a reason for it Lex divina omnium legum censura the divine Law is the standard of all lawes yea a thing evil in it self established by a Law becometh worse as the learned tell us it becometh armata injustitia an armed injustice or with Lactantius to the same purpose Lib 4 Inst Lucan lib. 2. May. Legitime injurias inferre to do in jury in the form of Law just with the Poet jusque datum sceleri well Englished and licenced Which truth also is cleared from divine Authority the Psalmist complaineth of the injurious evil done upon Gods Church and People aggravating it from this Psal â—4 2â— that is it was framed by a decree which place the Authour of Zions Plea applieth very pertinently to the Hierarchy proving it to be the Master-sin wherewith the Church and State are pestered and for which especially God hath a controversie with us because it is decreed by a Law and as a Law for the Hiâ—rarchy proved of no force to keep it up no more than the late Lawes of Scotland could uphold their Prelates so grant that there were a Law for the Service-book the thing being naught what could it help it Within these hundred years there was a Law in England for the Popes supremâ—cy say that were not repealed stood it either with Reason Religion or Loyalty to submit unto it Yea some fragments of Laws are yet unrepealed in this Land that no judicious man will obey neither have we alleadged those evidences upon this suspition to encounter with an Statutes but to stop the mouths of those men who would make the Statute-Law a blind guide under which their unlawful callings and superstitious service might march furiously against the word of truth Now Sect. to come to an end for we are sorry we could be no briefer we will only answer this Qâ—aerâ— consisting of these two heads First whether we do approve of any set prayer in a more private way And secondly whether we do approve of any set Liturâ—y in publiâ—ue to both these we answer ingenuously as we think and for the former we do think that parties in their infancy or ignorance may use formes of prayer well and wholesomely set for helps and props of their imbecility yea riper Christians may do well to read such profitable formes the matter whereof may by setting of their affections on edge prepare and fit them as matter of Meditation the better to Prayer but for those parties so to continue without progress to conceived Prayer were as if children should still be poring upon spelling and never learn to read or as if children or weak should still go by hold or upon cruches never go right out We may say of set-prayer used for infirmity as Divines say of the legal Ceremonies in the interim that they were tolerable not necessary and so whatsoever is or may be said in the behalf of it is not so much as we conceive for the commendation of it as for the toleration of it for a time and for giving satisfaction to scrupulous consciences for the warrantable use of it in case of necessity To the second head Sect. for a set form of Liturgy in publique we answer that with all the Reformed Churches we do allow a sound form of set-liturgy as an exampler or president of our preformance of holy ordinance but so that none should tie himself or be tied to those Prayers exhortations and other things in the Lyturgy much less should it be violently thrust upon any Minister or People which proves in very deed a limiting of the spirit especially in a Minister able to pray in by the Holy Ghost yea it a very transplantation of the Essence or Nature of Prayer wherein the words are to follow the affections and not the affections the words as it doth in the best set formes but for our Liturgy what can be said for form or hath been said that cannot be said for the Popish Liturgy Canon 38. but the clothing it in another tongue yet this is pressed under great penalty upon all the Ministers who if they had the tougues of Angels they should not pray till every rag remnant of that be said To shut up the business if this Liturgy aque caput mali being the head peece of our evil be put away Act. 13.5 we should have no more ado about such a Liturgy than the Masters of the Synagogue had when after the reading of the Law and the Prophets they desired Paul to preach where without question Calvin as the learned observe Prayer was not wanting FINIS
spiritual offices and what do thereto belong They have their Baronries and the ample Revenues thereof Viis et modis such is their Income as it cannot but amount to four hundred and fifty thousand pounds per annum if not more so much their greatness comes unto as the state of a King may be supported not a little therewith Quaere Whether the true officers of the Church of Christ need so much to bear up their train Whether Christ be hereby better served by them or followed of them Whether their studies are more bent to advance the Churches spiritual good Whether are they more sequestred to the wayes of God to attend Gods service the reformation of ill mens lives the setting forward those that are good in the pathes of grace Whether do they take the more time to apply themselves to Fasting to praying to preaching to do workes of piety and works of charity Whether do they not rather intrude into secular affairs and into State businesses to the disgrace of the Nobles and Gentry of the Land and the peace thereof Whether are they more bold against sinne to suppresse it in all sorts Or are they not hereby the more Lordly minded to beare up themselves and to crush all that justly find fault with what is amisse in them Whether are they not hereby higher from controle and less subject to any censure both they and such as depend upon them Whether may not the King paire them as well as did blessed Queen Elizabeth some of them in her daies Or as King Henry did the Lord Abbots and Lord Priors with all their superfluous meanes For those were of men and so are these and not of God The humble Petition That they be made to change their Palaces for countrey Parsonage houses there to keep hospitality and feed the people with the word of life That their Baronries be taken from them and so the Lordly title and not be suffered to sit any more in Parliament as Lords there That their thousands be reduced to some hundreds and so their Officers and retinue made fewer What need a true Pastour be so pompous and Lordly great to do his heavenly office for Christ in preaching and in all other Spiritual duties SECT IV. Of the Prelatical rule and Government THeir rule is partly after the Canon Law yet in force and partly after their owne framed Canons and Articles and not according to Gods word The manner of their ruling is Lordly and alone in their inferiour Courts and in the high Commission Court their power is unlimited citing examining swearing judging sining and imprisoning as they please one of the most insufferable evils in this Kingdome The ends which they do aime at in governing are these I. To keep their own greatness even by exacting oaths for it as the oath of Canonical obedience and the late oath in the new Canons II. To hold others in subjection under them as they like best by citing to their Courts by hasty suspensions by rash and very abusive excommunications c. III. To enrich themselves gathering very much wealth The means are these I. By ordaining Deacons and Ministers for money four times a year by which they put up yearly hundreds of pounds II. By instituting and inducting Parsons and Vicars Some have paid 7. pounds when Benefices do fall and so scrape together much out of 9285. livings 3l for every one one way or other which in time comes to many thousands III. By making Rural Deans yearly where they be in every Deanry And for the oath taken some pay 8s 6d or a Noble but no benefit to the Deanry at all but to execute Bishops mandates IV. By granting Licenses which ought to be free I. To Beneficed men to preach in their own Cures though at their ordination they give them authority to preach yet may not they afterwards without 10s for every license look then how many licensed Preachers there be whether they preach or no so many 10s is paid suppose there be in 9285. Parishes but 6000. of them the sum cometh to 3000. pounds Thus they pay money to have leave to discharge their highest duty of their office II. To Curates who must pay for a license to read prayers in some place For a license to preach For a license to teach School undoing poor beginners before they get any thing III. To Clerks of the Parish to be Clerks IV. To Physicians to practice Physick V. To Midwives to do their office for they have still in all trades and professions to gain money VI To parties which are to be married without Banes asking and in times prohibited and both for money allowed yet against Law By absolving after a rash suspension after a prophane excommunication and both for money By aggravations for money VII By putting men to clear themselves by oath with their Compurgators for money VIII By imposing Penance which the richer may commute for money But the miserable poor doing their penance cannot be freed from their Courts without money though they beg for it must stand excommunicated and so be shut out of the Church and given over to the Devil for non-payment of money IX By willingly receiving any secret information true or false to call any before them putting them to the oath ex officio to catch them and make them pay money X. By interdicting of Churches whole Congregations XI By framing very many Articles forcing Church-wardens to present upon oath that they may get money XII By Probates of Wills and by granting letters of Administrations XIII By suits about Tythes and long delaying thereof much money is spent of others but gotten by them and thus a masse of money is gathered together of them to the great vexation of his Majesties Subjects especially of the meaner sort Yea so ravenous they are for gain that on fasting dayes appointed they send out every time a book which yet is one and the same with small variation and for it do exact 8d which in the several Parishes amounts to above 300l Thus of solemn fasts shamelesly they make gain and charge without cause the people At this last Fast a farthing paper prayer they sent forth and took 2d for every one which comes to threescore and ten pounds They can do nothing except they or their Officers lick their fingers Quaere Whether such a rule and authority by such Canons in such a manner and for such ends can be approved of God or any longer suffered of men Whether this be not to make money of Gods holy ordinances and to gain by sin what hope of a blessing can there be by such a base kind of Ecclesiastical government Whether it be not fit and just to squeeze such Spunges and ravenous Harpyes by finding out their illegal courses and punishing them The humble Petition That they may not rule by the Canon Law which yet is in force so far as it toucheth not the Kings Supremacy nor by their own
devised Canons but by Gods word and by such Canons as agree with the word and are made with the full consent of the Convocation and confirmed by Act of Parliament That in ruling they Lord it not alone but that they sit with learned godly and grave assistants keeping within the bounds of the Lawes doing neither contrary to nor besides them nor yet dispense with any as they do for marrying without banes asking and in times prohibited That they keep not their Courts nor send out Processe Summons Citations nor proceed to censure in their own names or stile nor use onely their own seal of office and armes as they do thereby denying their power to be derived from the King this is an unsufferable usurpation That they be made to acknowledge their authority not to be divine but humane from the King as hath heretofore been fully acknowledged That the power of the high Commission in ministring the Oath ex officio be taken away as also in all other inferiour Courts and that it may be a limited power under Law in all the proceedings in citing examining judging fining and imprisoning that so the complaints of Gods Ministers might not still cry aloud in the Lords ears to bring down wrath Who can but pity with tears of bloud the unsufferable misery of M. Peter Smart of Durham for preaching against setting up of Images and Altars the severe handling of Mr. George Huntly Minister and very many others heretofore and of late years now famously known That by their high authority they may not be suffered to hinder such as be troubled from taking the benefit of legal courses to help themselves and neither Judges and Lawyers made so to fear as the one sort dare not freely plead for them nor the other judge but with fear of them as they ought not That seeing they are otherwise sufficiently provided for they make not such wicked gain in making and instituting Ministers in giving licences in imposing penance in absolving and in all the rest before named to the great grievances of his Majesties subjects robbing them of a treasury of money and making sale of Gods holy Ordinances Is there Simony in buying a Benefice and none in giving money for the use of spiritual gifts That they make no encroachment upon the subjects liberties as they do prove fully by the Author of the Breviate SEC V. Of their Praelatical Visitations and in these These are pecuniary meerely for money I. Are Bishops Visitations 1. Church-wardens of every Parish and Chappel are called who receive a book of Articles to present by if any are wanting they are warned to appear at their Court with cost These Church-wardens pay for their book of Articles every year though the very same and for other things as also for writing their presentment by a Clark which they themselves could do 2s 4d which in 9285. Parishes commeth to 1058l and odd moneys besides Chappels which be here and there many II. Ministers Beneficed These pay for Licences to preach if they have none Then they pay xxd. or thereabouts for shewing their letters of Orders their Licence to preach unto the Register at every Bps. Visitation though seen and allowed of before After for Procurations to the Bishop 4s a piece To the Gentleman Apparitour 8d but the abler sort pay xijd Lastly sometimes the Bishops crave benevolence as the occasion is but the summe they will set down and threaten those that refuse their rate Besides all these they pay Paschal rents or Synodals to the Archd. in the Bishops visiting III. Curates If they want Licences to read preach or teach a School then they pay for them Also for shewing their letters of orders so that in 9285. Parishes the summe will arise to some thousands of pounds Thus they do at Archbs. visitations but when an Archb. comes newly to York the Parsons and Vicars though never so poor under him give him the tenth of their living for a benevolenâ—e to help the poor Archbishop to settle himself to 5. or 6. thousand pound a year which extorted benevolence if not paid him of the poorest Vicar the Reverend Father out of his mercifulness will pitifully afflict him in his Court II. Arâ—hds Visitations These be twise a year here the Church-wardens do as before The Ministers pay At Easter Visitation their paschal rents or Synodals which summes are not a like to all some pay 5s some less At Michaelmas they pay Procurations some 7 s. some 10 s. some lesse but it s judged that Ministers pay yearly at Visitations throughout the Land 4 or 5 thousand pounds some reckon more And what is all this for 1. To call every Minister by name and to pay as is aforesaid To call Churchwardens Questmen Sidemen or Posts as some name them to take their oaths to make presentments that men may be brought into their Courts to get money Quaere Whether these visitations be after God or man Whether any can hereby be bettered by them either for Life or Doctrine Whether any reformed Churches keep such kind of Visitations and such a manner of Visiting Whether these be worthy of so many thousands of pounds for calling such Visitations Whether such meetings be worthy the assembling together of so great a number of the Clergy and Laity The number out of 9285. Parishes to wit one Minister besides Curates and foure men Church-wardens and Sidemen or Posts besides two in every Chappelry are above 45. thousand at one visitation and at both the number double is 90000. where if they expend alike twelve pence a man for dinner and horse-meat as usually they do the summe doth arise in both the Visitations throughout the Land to 4000. and 500. pounds yearly Why should men cast away so much money yearly year by year for upholding them in such vain Visitations injurious to others and only gainful to themselves The humble Petition THat some way may be taken to make more useful these Visitations in calling together so many thousands than thus only to fill their purses That neither the Bishops nor Archds be permitted to frame Articles so unlawfully out of the Canons with sundry of their own additions as may appear by comparing of some of their Articles with the Canons which every Parish are bound to have and so need none of their Articles That threescore and fourteen thousand men be not constrained to swear threescore and fourteen thousand Oathes yearly as they do to their souls damnation without Repentance For 1. Not any do nor can keep the Oath in presenting all offences faults defaâ—lts and crimes as they call them mentioned in so numerous Articles and so do forswear themselves with breach of Oath goeth through the whole Land and with every oath goeth a curse II. If men should present for offences faults and crimes every thing according to every Article then they cursedly swear to present for offences faults and crimes which before the Almighty GOD are none as for instance 1.