take diligent notice of the absent And if upon your Complaint you receive Warrant from some of the Iustices of Peace and any sums of money be thereupon levied according as by law it is directed do you distribute the several sums so levied to the poor of your Parish according to the law in that case provided and before you at any time present any for such default in the Spiritual Court do you first seriously admonish them once and again VI. Do you suffer none in time of Divine Service to stand idle or talk together in the Church-porch or to walk in the Church or Church-yard nor children playing or crying in or about the Church nor suffer any to bring Dogs Hawks or Hounds into the Church to the disturbance of the Congregation VII Are the Side-men duly chosen do they assist the Church-wardens in the executing their Office and do they joyn with them in framing Presentments VIII Have you a Parish-Clerk aged 20 years at the least chosen by your Minister of honest life and conversation and sufficiently able to perform his duty in reading writing and singing and doth he duly attend the Minister in all Divine Offices at the Church doth he keep clean the Church and carefully look to it and to the Books and is he payed the ancient and usual wages as hath been accustomed IX Doth your Clerk or your Sexton if there be any such in your Parish diligently look to the doors of the Church that they be locked and opened at due times and that the Bells be toll'd and rung at the due and accustomed hours before the begining of Morning and Evening Service that the People may he warned and invited to come to the Church and when any person is passing out of this life doth he upon notice given thereof coll a Bell as hath been accustomed that devout and charitable persons may thereby be warned to recommend the Soul of the dying person to the grace mercy and peace of God Almighty X. Do they at the instance of any make any grave in any part of the Church except in such Isles where some person hath propriety without the express consent of your Minister Concerning Churches and their Possessions Ornaments Vtensils and other Necessaries to the same belonging I. IS your Church or Chappel in good repair are the Roofs the Walls the Floors Windows Seats if you have them and Doors well maintained and all things there in such a decent sort without dust or any thing that may be either noisom or unseemly as becometh the House of God And is your Porch and Steeple in good repair and Bells kept in good order by the care and oversight of the Church-wardens at the charge of all persons occupying any Lands or Tenements within your Parish as well out-dwellers as inhabitants rating all proportionably for the Lands and Tenements they occupy therein And is your Church or Chappel-yard sufficiently fenced with walls rails or pales as hath been accustomed and that by the moneys cessed upon Lands and Tenements in your Parish as aforesaid except you have a special custom otherwise directing you II. Are there any Isles adjoyning to your Church or Chancel which time out of mind have been repaired by the owners of any Messuage in your Parish if so do the owners thereof repair the same III. Is the Chancel of the Church sufficiently repaired and beautified by the Minister or other person to whom that doth belong IV. Is there any in your Parish that hath converted to his own or to any common secular use any Lead Timber Wood Stone or other Materials belonging to any Church or Chappel Parsonage or Vicarage-house or out-houses thereof Have any of your Church or Chappel Bells been taken down sold or lessened And by whom V. Have you in your Church a decent Font of Stone with a cover for the Administration of holy Baptism and the same set in the ancient and usual place appointed for it and have you in the Chancel a decent Table for the Celebration of the holy Communion and for the Communion-Service and a Carpet of Silk or other decent Stuff to lie continually upon the Table during the time of Divine Service and a fair Linnen cloth to lay on the same at the time of the Holy Communion and have you a fair Chalice or Communion Cup of Silver with a cover a Plate and a Flagon of Pewter or purer Metal the one to place the Bread on the other to bring the Wine unto the holy Table or have they been prafaned by any common use Have you a Basin or some other decent Vessel for receiving the offerings at the Communion Service and have you a fair Linnen cloth for covering the consecrated Elements Have you in your Church or Chappel a convenient reading Seat or Pew erected for your Minister wherein to read the daily Morning and Evening Service as also a decent Pulpit set in a convenient place for the preaching of God's Word VI. Have you belonging to the Church or Chappel a perfect Bible of the largest Volumn of the last Translation allowed by Authority Have you two Books of Common-Prayer set forth according to the last Act of Parliament for the Uniformity of publick Prayers And are they both of the largest Volumn fairly bound one for the Minister and another for the Clerk to use at the celebration of all Divine Offices the Book of Homilies the Book of Canons and Constitutions made in the Synod held at London 1603. Have you hanging up in your Church a Table of Degrees in marriage prohibited set forth by Authority A.D. 1563. a Parchment register-Register-book to Register the several Christnings Marriages and Buryings within the Parish Have you a Book to set down the names of such Strangers as preach in your Church and another Book wherein to write down and keep the Accounts of the Church-wardens and an Inventory of all things provided and belonging to your Church Have any other Books as the Works of Bishop Jewel Erasmus his Paraphrase upon the Gospel or any other good Books been carried out of the Church into any man's private House or been lost VII Are the ten Commandments or the Lords Prayer and other chosen Sentences of holy Scripture set up in your Church or Chappel as the Canon does require VIII Have you a large and decent Surplice one or more for the Minister to wear at all times of his publick Ministration And have you a Hood or Tippet for your Minister to wear over his Surplice IX Have you in your Church or Chappel a strong Chest with three Locks or Keys for the Alms of the poor and a hole therefore in the upper part thereof and is one of those Keys in the custody of the Parson Vicar or Curate And have you one other convenient Chest for keeping the Books and Furniture belonging to the Church and a Bier for the carrying of the dead to Burial X.
publickly before the Congregation declare his unfeigned assent and consent to the use of all things in the said Book contained as is prescribed in the Act of Parliament made for the Uniformity of publick Prayers And did he within three Months after his Induction in your Church or Chappel in publick upon some Lord's day read a Certificate under the hand and seal of the Arch-bishop or Bishop Ordinary of the Diocess that he the said Parson Vicar or Curate did before his admission to be Incumbent subscribe a declaration of the unlawfulness to take up arms against the king and of his conforming to the Liturgy of this Church and of his disavowing the unlawful Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant according as is prescribed in the aforesaid Act for Uniformity III. Or after his lawful Entrance is your Parson or Vicar resident upon his benefice or if his residence be legally dispensed with is his place supplied by a Curate allowed by the Bishop and a licensed Preacher and constantly resident among you and what yearly stipend doth your Minister allow him And if your Parson or Vicar be both resident himself and keep a Curate also doth he notwithstanding himself at least once a Month openly read Common Prayer in your Church or Chappel and if there be occasion administer each Sacrament in such order manner and form as is prescribed in the Liturgy and Canons of this Church IV. Having both lawful Entrance and Residence among you is he your Parson Vicar or also Curate of blameless conversation the Husband of one Wife sober grave not double tongu'd not given to much wine not greedy of filthy lucre ruling his Children and his own house well sound in faith in charity in patience Or on the contrary is he a frequenter of Taverns or Ale-houses a common Gamester a prophane or obscene jester a swearer railer scoffer or quarreller Doth he set his Neighbours at variance one with another Doth he familiarly converse with persons Excommunicate ungodly or vicious Doth he resort to suspected and infamous houses Or is he himself vehemently suspected of Incontinency with any person within or without your Parish Or doth your Curate or Minister lodge or board at any Tavern Inn Ale-house or house of any ill report V. Doth your Minister or Curate plainly audibly distinctly and reverently read the Divine Service of Morning and Evening-Prayer without any diminution in regard of Preaching or any other respect addition or alteration upon all Sundays and Holy-days not omitting also other days appointed by the Book of Common-Prayer as fit and usual times as Wednesdays and Fridays with the Litanies added and the Eves of every Sunday and Holy day with Ember and Rogation days And moreover when he is at home and not otherwise reasonably hindred himself and able to get two or three gathered together doth he every day say Divine Service Morning and Evening in the Parish-Church where he ministers and cause a bell to be toll'd thereunto that the People may come to hear God's Word and to pray with him VI. Doth your Minister reverently and publickly at the Font only and that without the use of a Basin Administer the holy Sacrament of Baptism Or doth he refuse or delay to Christen any Child that is brought to him to Church on any Sunday or Holy-day knowledge thereof being given to him over Night or in the Morning before Morning Prayer or neglect to persuade all these who have the use of Reason and are still unbaptiz'd having been seduced by Anabaptists to come to holy Baptism and doth he take care for their Baptism as in the Common-Prayer-Book is prescribed In the solemn Publick Baptism doth he Baptize any without God-fathers or God-mothers Or doth he then refuse or neglect to sign the Child baptized with the sign of the Cross Or doth he admit such to be a God-father or God mother who are either one of the Parents of the Child or who have not themselves received the holy Communion VII Doth your Minister duly and reverently Administer the holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ our Lord so often at least and at such times as every Parishioner may communicate at the least three times in every year in publick whereof the Feast of Easter to be one And doth he reverently and carefully in all things observe all the Churches Order in the Celebration Doth he give warning publickly in the Church at Morning-Prayer the Sunday before for the better preparation of his Parishioners And do such as purpose to Communicate signifie their Names at least some time the day before and when he seeth the People negligent to come to the Communion doth he use the Churches second Exhortation and when there is no Communion doth your Minister every Sunday and Holy-day throughout the year read so much of the Communion Service as is appointed to be read by the Book of Common-Prayer and at the place appointed if he can thence be well heard of all thereby professing his and the Churches readiness to the more frequent Celebration of the Holy Eucharist if Communicants were not wanting VIII Doth your Minister wittingly admit to the receiving the Holy Communion any one such who is known to live in open and notorious sin without Repentance or that has wronged his Neighbour by word or deed so as that the Congregation is thereby offended or any such betwixt whom he perceives malice or hatred to reign and will not be reduced by him to a reconcilement or to any who refuse to be present at the other publick Prayers of the Church or to any that be common or notorious depravers of the Book of Common-Prayer or of any thing contained in the XXXIX Articles or in the Book of Ordaining Bishops Priests and Deacons or to any that has spoken against His Majesties Supreme Authority in Causes Ecclesiastical except such persons do first acknowledge to the Minister before you the Church-Wardens his Repentance for the same and promise under his hand if he can write or otherwise by word of mouth that he will do so no more Or lastly to any that refuse to receive the said Holy Communion kneeling And of all such persons by him put from the Communion doth he give an account to his Ordinary according to Law IX Doth he at the Celebration of the Holy Communion in the due places appointed by the Liturgy take the Paten into his hands and break the Bread and lay his hand upon all the Bread and after likewise take the Cup into his hand and lay his hand upon it and every Vessel in which there is any Wine to be Consecrated and when that which was Consecrated is spent doth he communicate to any persons without Consecrating more according to the form prescribed and doth he severally deliver the Bread and Wine to every Communicant and at his delivering the same
of Child-bearing refuse in convenient time to return a publick Thanksgiving to God according to the Order of the Church Or are there any that neglect to obtain the Christian burial of their dead according to the Rites of the Church of England IV. Do any in your Parish entertain in their house any Sojourner common Guests or other persons who refuse to frequent Divine Service or receive the holy Communion as aforesaid and what are the names qualities and conditions of such Sajourners V. Do any refuse to be uncovered during the time of Divine Service or Sermon or Homily prescribed therein or devoutly to kneel when by the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book they are commanded so to do or to stand up at the Glory be to the Father c. and at the Creeds and holy Gospel and to make answer at all the Responsals appointed by the said Book and due reverence when the Name of our Lord Jesus is mentioned or to say the Creed and the Lord's Prayer in a loud voice with the Minister Or do any in time of Divine Service or Sermon or Homily behave themselves rudely by walking talking whispering laughing or sleeping VI. Do any persons excommunicate intrude into your Church in time of Divine Service or doth any other person disturb your Minister doing any part of his Ministerial Office or do any brawl quarrel challenge one another fight or strike in the Church or Church-yard Or are any Plays Feasts Drinkings or Church-Ales kept in your Church or Church-yard VII Do any Housholders Fathers Masters Mothers Mistresses in your Parish neglect to cause their Children and Servants Apprentices or other Persons living in their House which have not yet learnt the Churches Catechism to learn the same and to come to Church on Sundays and Holy-days in the Afternoon there to be examined by their Minister and instructed therein VIII Is there any in your Parish Master or Servant Sojourner or Inhabiter Man or Woman that lieth under a common fame or suspicion or notoriety of Adultery Fornication or Incest or other Incontinency having married within the degrees prohibited by God and expressed in a Table set forth by Authority A.D. 1563. Or have you any that live together in your Parish as a man and wife who refuse to make known when where or by whom they were married Or any that being lawfully married do yet live asunder without separation in due form of Law Or have you any Bawds Entertainers or Concealers of incontinent persons or any common Drunkards Extortioners Swearers or Blasphemers of God's Name any sowers of Sedition Faction or Discord among their Neighbours any Railers Revilers common Slanderers of their Neighbours filthy and lascivious talkers or which have sollicited any person to unchastity or any which have used any Charms Inchantments or consultations of those called Wizards Witches or cunning men or any Sorceries not including here such as are made Felony by the Laws of this Realm or which have committed perjury in any Ecclesiastical Court and Cause IX Are there any Recusants in your Parish or other Schismatically affected who refuse communion with the Church in her Prayers and Sacraments who keep in their Houses any that take upon them to be spiritual guides and instructers or any School-master in their Family which come not to Church to hear Divine Service and to receive the holy Communion or that labour to seduce and withdraw others within or without the Family from the Religion in this Church established or any in your Parish that retain sell or disperse any Popish books or writings or other books or writings of any Sectaries touching the Religion State or Government Ecclesiastical of this kingdom of England or Books of Heresie X. Have you any in your Parish that are suspected to be Antinomians Anabaptists Familists Libertines Brownists Quakers Muggletonians Independents or Presbyterian opposers of Episcopal Government XI Did any dying in your Parish or elsewhere leave any Legacy to your Church or Chappel or to the Poor or to any other pious or charitable purposes What were the Legacies and how have they been bestowed Are there any in your Parish living that do to your knowledge or as you have heard with-hold any part of the stock goods or legacies given to any Church or Pious and Charitable use any provision for free Schools Alms-houses or Hospitals not including here such as are of his Majesties Foundation or Patronage or that employ them otherwise then according to the intent of their several foundations and the allowance of the Laws Are there any Testaments or Wills by any concealed or unproved or any Goods unadministred or administred without a due grant from the Ordinary XII Have you any in your Parish that refuse to pay their duty for Easter offerrings to your Minister or to reckon with him then or that refuse to contribute and pay the Rate cessed upon them for the repair of your Church or Chappel or for the providing of such Books Furniture or necessary Ornaments as are requisite for the performance of any of the Divine Offices there XIII Do you know of any person in your Parish having the Presentation or gift of any Ecclesiastical Benefice who hath presented a Minister to it upon any Bargain either for Mony or Pension or Lease or reserve of Tythes or Glebe or any part thereof or upon any other Symonical contract whatsoever Concerning Church-wardens Side-men Parish-Clerks and Sextons I. ARe the Church-wardens of your Parish yearly and duly chosen by the joint consent of your Minister and Parishioners or one of them by your Minister and the other by the Parishioners and are they sworn Have the last Church-wardens given up their Accounts before the Minister and Parishioners delivering up also the money remaining into your hands and other things of right belonging to your Church or Chappel and is the same delivered to you by bill indented II. Doth any person or persons trouble or molest you the Church-wardens for presenting any offenders in any of the premises or for performing the duty that lies upon you in executing any part of your office and who are they that do so molest and trouble you III. Do you the Church-wardens against every Communion provide a sufficient quantity of fine white Bread and good and wholsome Wine according to the number of the Communicants and do you bring the Wine so provided in a clean and sweet standing Flagon of Pewter or other purer Metal kept for that use IV. Do you suffer the Table for the holy Communion to be applied at any time to any prophane or common use as of writing setting dead Corps upon it at Funerals or others in the Church to sit upon it or irreverently to make it a place to lay their arms or hats upon it V. Do you the Church-wardens note them that come late to Church after Divine Service is begun or depart before it be ended and do you