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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	form_n	prayer_n	use_v	4,815	5	5.9954	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69195	Certaine demandes with their grounds, drawne out of holy writ, and propounded in foro conscientiæ by some religious gentl. vnto the reverend fathers, Richard archbishop of Canterbury, Richard bishop of London, William bishop of Lincolne, Garvase bishop of Worcester, William bishop of Exeter, & Thomas bishop of Peterbourough wherevnto the said gentl. require that it would please their lordships to make a true, plaine, direct, honest and resolute aunswere.	Bancroft, Richard, 1544-1610.	1605 (1605)	STC 6572.5; ESTC S112734	57,418	70

estimation to the honor and dignitie of our Christian King and the noblenes of his kingly charitie declared by his proclamation as that hereafter in your consistories and publique seates of Iudgement you would vse conferences arguments and perswasions wayes of love and gentlenes workings by clemencie and weight of reason to reclayme all that be in the ministerie to the obedience of the church lawes according as by the Kings proclamation you are required rather thē by rigour of law shaking the kings sword and pressing the kings commandement to enforce the trembling consciences of your weake brethren contrarie to the Kings most noble christian intention plainly vttered by his proclamation There be sundrie other poyntes in his Maiesties proclamation which by your Lordships worthily deserved consideration before you had begun those violēt courses which some of you have pursued in this case The peremptory day assigned to the Ministers for their conformitie by the King being of more authoritie then 1000. of your canonicall admonitious would have bene fully expired before you had troubled the Ministers about this matter otherwise then by conferences argumentes perswasions c. All Ministers who had incurred no censures of the church or penalties of the law in the Queenes tyme or since the Kings raigne before the sixth of Iuly 1604. be exempted out of the proclamation though before the day appointed they have not conformed them selves to the orders of the Church And yet many such have you disquieted The Lawes and orders of the Church remayne very vncerteyne so as it is not certeyne to what lawes and orders established the ministers should conforme them selves And yet before the day expired you have vrged some Ministers to cōforme them selves to Canons divulged since the Proclamation The Canon law is vtterly voyd within the Realme and therefore your oath of Canonicall obedience is of no force and all your Canonicall admonitions not worth a rush The old provinciall constitutions intreat of no such oath besides they litle or nothing respect any orders or ceremonies of our Church To which booke of common prayer the Ministers should subscribe in that maner and forme as by the Canon is required is not decided If they subscribe to the booke published since the Kings raigne they may then be called into question at every sessions assises for vsing an other forme then is prescribed in the Queenes booke the same remayning still in force vnrepealed if subscription be vrged to the Queenes booke then may not the Ministers yeeld therevnto because the Kinge and Bishops have concluded to reforme some things conteyned in the same as being repugnant to the holy word of God Besides the booke of common prayer of the second of Edward 6. touching ornamentes rites and ceremonies and wherevnto for the same respect both the Queenes and the Kings booke hath reference revived this last Parliament by disannulling the statute of repeale made the first of Queene Mary This book we say of the 2. of Edw. 6 establishing other ornaments rites and ceremonies then the former bookes doe some of those ceremonies also to be vsed or at least at every mans devotion and the ornaments after another maner thē ours make vs greatly to stand in doubt whether all ceremonies conteyned in every of these bookes or but some or which of them are to be vsed yea or no. Touching the late Canons of what authoritie many of them be may iustly be questioned because some of them seeme vnto vs to be contrariant or repugnant to the lawes statutes customes of the realme som to be derogatorie to the Kings prerogative royall and other some to be repugnant to the holy word of God and therefore in all these three respects to be voyd canons by the common law statutes of the realme Lastly howsoever some ministers might be within the cōpasse of the proclamation not conforming them selves before the last of Novēb to the lawes established before the 16. of Iuly neverthelesse the Bishops after the day expired ought to have attēded the Kings pleasure by what wayes and meanes he had determined to take from among the people all occasions of sectes divisions and vnquietnes much lesse before the day should they have attempted any thing vnlesse as the proclamation requireth them they had provided meete persons to bee substitutes in the places of those who wilfully had abandoned their charges These things being thus most providently nobly and Royally for the quietnes of the church set forth by the Kings proclamation it had bene a parte of very great wisedome and moderation for your Lordships in our opinions paciently to have expected the Kings further direction before by your vntimely pressing the kinges commandement authoritie and rigour of his lawes ye had indevoured the inforcing of their consciences without perswasions by weight of reason And so much the rather should your Lordships have done this that hereby ye might have satisfied all civill Magistrates Gentlemen and others of vnderstandinge that they seeing by your conferences argumentes perswasions love gentlenes clemencie and weight of reason that the cause which you maintayne not that which they impugne is good might not in any sorte have supported favoured or countenanced any factious ministers in their obstinacie as by the proclamation they are required And yet by your Lordships favour not to conceale any thing which hetherto we have as we thinke rightly conceaved of the Kinges proclamation we can not but informe your Lordships that by the same the King hath more tēdered the good estate of the ministers of their controversie in hand then ever was tēdred by any former Prince since poperie was banished For when was there in England before this time by any kingly proclamation any conference argument perswasion love gentlenes clemencie weight of reason commanded rigor of the law forbidden to be vsed by the Archbishops Bishops for the reclayming of the ministers to the lawes of the church When were any ministers by publike authoritie called as it were into open field to stand vpon arguments and weight of reason Whē was it appointed by publike authoritie that any ministers should answere and that Archbishops Bishops should oppose that the ministers should be defendants and the Bishops plaintifes When was it proclaymed by any Princes authoritie that the Archbishops and Bishops to their vttermost indevours by argumentes and weight of reason should prove vnto the ministers that the book of cōmon prayer bookes of homilies booke of cōsecrating Bishops Priests and Deacons book of Articles and other lawes orders of the church conteyne nothing in the whole or in any parte disagreeable either in doctrine or governement to the word of God All which things by the proclamation are intended should be done which things also if the Archbishops Bishops have done thē indeed we confesse the ministers that have not yeelded to conforme thēselves to be wilfull the King to be righteous for

by his owne knowledge This people have removed their hearte farr from me and their feare toward me was taught by the precept of man In vaine they worship mee teaching for doctrines the precepts of men From which grounds we demand Whether your Lordships can prove out of holy Writt that there can be a service yealded vnto God where God hath not given a commandement Whether the more a man thinketh to doe any thinge by his owne wisedome and not as God instructeth him the more he doe not prove him selfe to be a vile beast Whether any thing can be acceptable in the sight of God which he never required at our handes Whether God wil be honored according to mans fantasie or rather doth not detest whatsoever is not grounded vpon his worde If your Lordships for the avoyding of these demandes shall deny the feigned making of a crosse and feigned signing of the childe in the forehead with a crosse in the administration of Baptisme to be any service or to be any worship vnto God and therefore neither voluntarie service neither will-worship vnto God then we demaunde for what intent or to what end the making of a Crosse and signinge the forehead of the childe with a crosse is commaunded as a necessarie service to be performed by the Minister in that publique acte of Gods worship for if the forme and manner of Gods worship as you say be established prescribed conteyned in the booke of common prayer if also the ministration of the Sacrament commaunded in that booke be as you say no corrupt superstitious or vnlawfull worship neither conteyning any thing in it that is repugnant to the scriptures how should not the making of a Crosse and signing of the childe in the forehead with a crosse but be a pure a religious a lawfull worship vnto God Besides if making a crosse vpon the childes forehead and signing the forehead of the childe with a crosse be no act of gods worship in the administration of Baptisme Then we demaund how the Minister in foro cōscientiae can be guiltles of taking the holy name of God in vaine when as in the act of Gods service and worship hee doth neither worship nor serve God But Sirs by your patience the Minister in obeying the authoritie of the Church when shee commaundeth him to make a Crosse herein obeyeth God Why then by your Lordships favour wee demaund whether the church doe serve God or doe but please her selfe in that her cōmandment For say we where no commaundement of God there no service vnto God And therefore if the Church by such her commaundement doe but please hir selfe and not serve and please God Then we demaund whether the Church in thus pleasing her selfe and not serving ●od doe not offend God asmuch nay rather more then if shee had commaunded a voluntarie service and a will-worship vnto God But Sirs the acte of making a Crosse and signing the childe in the forehead with a crosse is no parte of baptisme for we graunt that baptisme is perfect and absolute without it But yet by your Lordships favour the question is not whether making of a crosse or signing with a crosse be any parte of baptisme but whether making of a crosse and signing with a crosse be any parte of the continued acte of the outward and divine worship given vnto God in the publick administration of baptisme For if it be a meere traditionall and no divine or religious action or if it be partly traditional and partly divine we still vrge your Lordships to prove vnto vs by the holy scriptures whether it were ever lawfull in any act of Gods worship to act a thing meerely traditionall or partly traditionall and partly divine As for the action of sitting standing kneeling going reading praying preaching and if there be any other Divine naturall or necessarie actions powers or faculties of the body or minde without which no outward service can be yealded vnto God We confesse that the Church with the Magistrates consent may determine of the comely and orderly acting of these things because Aliquo per Deum mandato omnia ea mandantur ne quibus illud mandatum commodè religiosè adimpleri non potest And therefore those divine necessarie and naturall actions before remembred depending vpon or proceeding from the powers and faculties of the bodie or mind being such as without which the outward service of God can not commodiously decently and orderly be accomplished we affirme that they be confirmed vnto vs from generall rules of holy writ And this also may serve for an answere for the having of water a vessell to conteyne water because as water of necessitie is required to the administration of baptisme so must also water we having no waters running through our churches of necessitie be cōteyned in some vessell but as for making a crosse or signing the forehead of the child with a crosse in baptisme because the same by your confession is no part of Baptisme And because also the same is not properly and simply any necessary naturall or divine actiō as without which Baptisme can not be administred Nay because it is such an action as without which Baptisme very decently and orderly may be administred wee pray your Lordships to resolve vs out of holy Writt how the Minister may acte the signe in the outward acte of Gods worship And yet not breake as earst hath bene said either the second commandement by outwardly serving God otherwise then hee hath commanded in his worde or not violate the thirde commandement by taking his holy Name in vaine But by your patience Sirs this making a crosse vpon the childes forehead and this signing him with a signe of the crosse in token c. though the same be no part of Baptisme nor any parte of the outward worship of God nor any naturall nor necessarie action of the body or mind without which Baptisme can not be administred yet is the same a solemnitie an ornament apperteyning vnto Baptisme by the order of the church which ought not to be omitted and left vndone But by your Lordships favour this your Apologie is of no fresher hue nor of any deeper dye then wherewith the great Papistes and fond Canonistes have alwayes bepainted and becouloured their signing their salting their spitteling their oyling their chrismating and their other such like solemnities according to these verses Sal oleum chrisma cereus chrismate saliua Flatus virtutem Baptismatis ista figurant Haec cum patrinis non mutant esse sed ornant And therefore we pray your Lordships to resolve vs by some place of holy Writt whether the Papists and you or either of you be inabled to invent or ordeyne such solemnities ornaments signes figures of crosses to be vsed in the publique administration of Baptisme as never once came in the mind of God to have devised or vsed And so much the rather

doe wee desire your Lordships resolutions herein because there is no maner of solemnitie signe figure or ornament of a crosse required by the book of cōmon prayer to be vsed in that administration of Baptisme which in the same book is intituled private Baptisme For if Baptisme without any reall solemnitie or actuall ornament of a crosse or of the signe of a crosse may bee administred privately how much more without these humane solemnities and ornamentes might baptisme be administred publiquelie There being then in the Church of England two formes maners of the administration of Baptisme the one private the other publike the one with a crosse the other without a crosse and both of these concluded by your late Canons not to be corrupt superstitious or vnlawfull by meanes also whereof there is to be seene no cōformitie or vniformitie betwene having solemnities ornaments of crosses signes of crosses in publike baptisme betwene the not having solemnities and ornaments of crosses and signes of crosses in private baptisme we pray your Ll. to resolve vs out of holy writ whether these ornaments solemnities of crosses signes of crosses for the stability of publike peace quiet in the church the not enforcing of any mans conscience with the vse of the crosse might not aswell be left out in the administratiō of publike as it is in the administratiō of private baptisme For whether respect be had to the brethren offended or made weake by the vse therof or whether we regard the not cōfirming strenghtening of the superstitious in their error there is farr much more danger like to ensue both to the one sorte to the other by the vse of it in publike then in private Baptisme by reason that the assembly generally is evermore great in the one and never but small in the other But to let passe this deformitie of crossing not crossing in publik private baptisme we will prosecute some few demands not yet moved concerning the feigned imaginarie and ayrie crossing vsed in publike Baptisme And first we pray your Lordships to resolve vs out of holy writ how a Minister in foro conscientiae can be cleare without sinne when as in the same publike continewed act of Gods worship imaginarily feignedly he shal affirme the doing of a thing w ch indeed in trueth he doth not ne possibly can do if the Minister then without some instrumēt chalk rudle or such like can make no crosse vpon the childs forehead and yet shall say as the booke prescribeth that he signeth him with the signe of the crosse what a grosse fitten call ye that To affirme that the passing of the Ministers hand thūme or finger croswise in the ayre over the childs forehead is to make a crosse vpon the childs forehead that the same passing in the ayre is also the signe of a crosse this we say to affirme is as if a man should assevere that the flying of a bird in the ayre the slyding of a serpent vpon a stone leaveth a bird and the signe of a bird in the ayre a serpent and the signe of a serpent vpon a stone And to say that there is an invisible crosse or a signe of an invisible signe of a crosse remaining in the ayre over the childes forehead how absurd and without all reason that saying is we leave to your Lordships considerations For if it be vnpossible to make a crosse or the signe of a crosse vpon the running water much more vnpossible is it to make a crosse or the signe of a crosse in the subtile and replenishing ayre wherefore vnlesse your Lordships can prove by some rule of holy Writt that every Minister is indowed with power from above to make crosses and signes of crosses which be invisible and that these invisible signes and crosses be also invisible tokens in the childes forehead of his being not ashamed of Christ crucified of his manfull fighting c. we demand what good plea in foro conscientiae your Lordships can frame to dischardge the Minister from being guilty of a thrice feigned imaginary lying crosse we say thrice faigned at the least First we receive and doe signe thee secondly with the signe and thirdly of the Crosse And what if we saide fourthly in token for what token can the child or his witnesse in his name receive keepe when as neither he nor they have any crosse any signe or any token of a crosse given or delivered vnto them at all which maner of crossing signing and tokening may well bee compared to our atturnies proceeding by signes and profers signes and profers when indeed by such their pleadings they hasten not but delay their clyents causes only making signes and profers signes and profers as though by this meanes they hastened to an end when as indeed they mind nothing lesse But to speake no more of the Ministers feigned signes and profers of making crosses signes of crosses in the ayre vpon or over the childs forehead Wee demand whether not to be ashamed to confesse the faith of Christ crucified whether not to be ashamed manfully to fight vnder his banner against sinne the world and the divell whether not to be ashamed to continewe Christes faithfull souldier and servant to his lifes end We demand we say whether these three graces be not all every of them inward invisible and spirituall graces yea or no If your Lordships answere as the trueth is that these graces be all spiritual invisible inward graces then because by the book of common prayer so the Minister make a crosse it is not materiall of what forme the crosse be made we demand by what rules of holy writ your Lordships can prove that the signe of the crosse of saint Iohns of Ierusalem the signe of saint Andrews crosse the signe of saint Peters crosse the signe of the crosse made after the Greeke T. or like the Hebrew χ. or like the Greeke X. or the signe of any other crosse for there be divers other formes of crosses can be a token of these spirituall and invisible graces if so be they were engraven with a Diamond vpon the childes forehead If your Lordships answere affirmatively that the signe of saint Andrewes crosse of saint Iohns crosse of saint Peters crosse or the signe of any other crosse made by the Minister vpon the childes forehead is a token of these inward spiritual and invisible graces then we demand whether your Lordships ascribe not like power to every minister for the trāsubstantiation of every invisible crosse feinedly made in the administration of Baptisme to the forme of a true visible crosse as the Pope attributeth to every Prieste for the transubstantiation of every piece of bread wherevpon he bloweth at the Altar into the Body of Christ or if your Lordships answere because there is no crosse sensibly to be seene but intelligiblie to be vnderstood that the imaginary feigned ayrie

by this booke of common prayer of the second of Edw. 6. kneeling crossing holding vp of handes knocking vpon the breaste and other gestures are to bee vsed at least as every mans devotion serveth without blame We pray your Lordships to suffer vs without blame and danger of your late canons peaceably and quietly to enioy and possesse our libertie That so we may receyve the communion sitting standing or kneeling as everie mans devotion serveth And thus much for our full and perfect answere vnto your questions of disseysing the church of her evangelicall decencie and order and of reverence and conformitie in kneeling in the act of receyving the cōmunion wherevpon we most instantly pray your Lordships that you would be well pleased vpon your second thoughtes to heale your former errours And withall to be content not only to suppresse the vse of your Copes Surplices making of Crosses signing with Crosses tokening with Crosses kneeling c. But also to restore our possession and to give vs livery and seysin of all those decencies conformities and reverend maner of prayer preaching the word receiving and administring the Sacramentes without Copes Surplices Crosses and kneelings whereof the Churches were seysed in the Apostles tymes And which being moderated by the wisdome and authoritie of our Saviour Christ we are most assured can not be but well-pleasing vnto God But Sirs by your patience our Christian Magistrate imposeth them as matters of order according to that forme wherein he found the church at his coming and this his pleasure must commaund may satisfie vs if it should please the King not to commaund them wee for our partes could be well content not to vrge them See see what a dalliance is this in a matter of so high a qualitie and touching the dignitie preheminence of so excellent a person what was your melody yesterday and that in the presence of the King and assemblie of his Nobles was your melody but yesterday we say viz. No ceremonie no Bishop no Bishop no King and can your Lordships to day sitting Iudicially in your Consistory to censure the Ministers for not conformitie thus sudenly change your note and cry openly No commaundement of ceremonies by the King no imposition of ceremonies by the Bishop For is it not as if you should have layde the whole blame vpon the King and have spoken thus No ceremonious King no ceremonious Bishop And yet for all this do not all men know that your Lordships were too too ceremonious and too too great masters of ceremonies before ever the King saw your faces And how then cometh it to passe ceremonies having hitherto ben vpheld by your Lordlines that your Lordlines should not now stande but by ceremonies or how cometh it to passe your Lordlines heretofore being propped vp by the crowne and scepter of our late Queene that your Lordlines should now vphold the scepter crowne of our Christian King This your Lordships gradation therefore made vpon the first day from the not being of a Ceremonie to the not being of a Bishop to the not being of a King And this your protestation made vpon the next day of the being of a Kinge to the being of a ceremonie what ells doeth the one and the other argue and importe but a feare and a suspition if the King should once commande downe your lawes of Ceremonies that the Lawes of your Lordlinesse likewise would of them selves sone after fall to the ground And therefore whether the King did conceive that you might but glose and flatter with your gradation or whether poore simple and playne meaning men might be seduced by your protestation we know not neither is it our purpose to enquire Only we can not but much marveile that each of you professing him selfe to be a Gad and to be a Nathan to be a Seer and to be a Prophet vnto our christian Magistrate should thus protest thus chardge the King to be the only spirit by whom your selves doe speake and the only prophet from whom your selves doe learne Nay what a thinge is this your Lordships prophesying vnto the King in the name of the Lord That your rites and ceremonies are no way contrariant or repugnant but every way agreeable and consonant to the holy word of God and meete to be reteyned aswell for the manner and forme of Gods worship as for edification of the church should notwithstanding openly avow the Kings pleasure and the Kings command to be the fountayne and welspring of your prophesies Nay which is more your selves making for your selves Ceremonious hornes of Iron assuring the king that with the same he should be able to overthrowe and push downe al such as by your Lordships be falsely called puritanes What a thing is this that you should notwithstanding proclayme the kings minde to be as it were the only mould wherein your ceremonies were cast Nay which is more What a thing is this your Lordships assuring to your selves to bee the chiefest of the Lordes Priestes and Levites should notwithstanding put the holy Censores into his Maiesties hand and laye the holy Arcke of the Covenaunt vpon the kinges shoulders to burne incense and to beare it and to carrye it him selfe alone Nay which is more What a thing is this your Lordships by a definitive sentence publickly given read and divulged in your sacred so called Synod having not only iudicially decreed the lawfulnes of ornaments rites and ceremonies but also humbly and professedly desired the same to be cōfirmed by the Kings royal authoritie vnder the broad Seale of England that you should notwithstanding for the execution of your said Decree call to witnes the Kings commaund and the Kings pleasure As though the Kings pleasure and commaund were the only cause and not the effect of your decree and not rather your decree the only cause and not the effect of his Highnes commaund Your second canon by which the same power is iustly as we cōfesse given to our Sovereigne Lord the King in causes ecclesiasticall that the godly Kings had among the Iewes will not serve to excuse you in the making of your canons if any of them be blame worthie for the godly Kings of Iudah never had any authoritie to command what ceremonies should be ordeyned among the lewes Neither did King David neither any other of the godly kings of Iudah doe any thing in building of the Temple in distribution of offices among the Levites or in any manner services performed to the Lord but the same was sent vnto them in writing from the hand of the Lord or by the mouth of the Prophetes or by casting of Lott What soever authoritie then the godly Kings of Iudah had to command ceremonies once made to be observed the same authoritie and none other in matter of ceremonies doeth your canon yeald vnto the King And therfore we beseech your Lordships hereafter to carry such a loyall and conscionable reverence and

as that not only they content not thē selves by eating flesh themselves to grieve to offend a weak brother to give him an occasion to sinne but also cōmand a weake brother to eate that meate by eating wherof he can not but fal but stumble but grieve but offend but sinne and but destroy him selfe This kind of charitie may deserve vnhappely the name of some Synodal or Provincial charitie but certes it can neverworthely deserve to be called an Apostolicall charitie But Sirs you mistake the matter very much you deceive your selves draw not the cases rightly The vse of Crosses Copes Surplices Cappes kneelings are cōmanded by the christiā Magistrates soveraigne authority only as things indifferēt for orders sake not that men should be grieved and offended or that they should fall stumble sinne destroy them selves Touching the christian Magistrates authoritie about ordering rites ceremonies in the church we have somewhat at large argued before which we had thought might have fully satisfied your Lordships but because it pleaseth you still to presse vs with the same we must once againe plainly signifie vnto you that we beleeve that your selves do not attribute any more spirituall authoritie vnto the King to make constitute and ordeine canons constitutions rites or ceremonies then you give vnto him spirituall power to preach the word administer the Sacraments and excommunicate For we beleeve that your selves with the residue of the clergie assembled by the Kings writt in your convocation doe chalendge all spirituall power vnto your selves to make ordeine and decree all maner of canons constitutions ordinances ornaments rites and ceremonies in the Church Yea and this spirituall power we beleeve that you pretend to be derived vnto your selves and the rest of the clergie in the convocation not from any spirituall power invested in the person of our soveraigne Lord the King but onely from the spirituall power of our Saviour Christ alone And this is manifest by your Cxxxix canon for so are your words Whosoever shall hereafter affirme that the Sacred Synode of this nation in the name of Christ and by the Kings authoritie assembled is not the church of England by representation let him be excommunicated c. These wordes wee say of your canon viz. Sacred Synod is assembled in the name of Christ and by authoritie of the King plainely testifie that you hold your Synode not to be assembled by authoritie of the King in the name of the King or in the name of Christ and the King but only in the name of Christ And therefore by your owne wordes wee are inforced to beleeve that you attribute vnto the King none other authoritie then such as you attribute to the godly Kinges of Judah namely an authoritie to assemble and command your persons as they assembled and commanded the persons of the Priestes What to execute the rites and ceremonies of the Kinges of Iudah No but to execute the rites and ceremonies of God And so we beleeve your persons being assembled by authoritie and commandement of the King that your selves by your owne authoritie and that in the name and by the power of Christ and not in the name and power of the King doe ordeine decree and make canons constitutions rites and ceremonies as if they were sent vnto vs by your handes from God And thus much doe the very first words of your first canon and some words in your 140. 141. canons clearly prove For howsoever in the title of your book you vse these words Constitutions and Canons treated and agreed vpon by the Bishop of London c. Yet both in the proheme body of your first canō you affirme as followeth In your proheme or title you say thus the Kings supremacy over the church of Englād in causes ecclesiastical you say not over the church causes but over the church in causes and in the body of the same canō you say we first decree ordeine that the Archb. of Canterbury c. and in the Cxl. canon your words are these Whosoever shall affime that no maner of person c. are to be subiect to the decrees therof speaking of the Synod eccllesiasticall made ratified by the kings Maiesties supreame authority c. let him be c. your words also in your last canō are these whosoever shal hereafter affirm c. that the sacred Sinod assembled c. was a company of persons c. in making canons cōstitutions in causes ecclesiasticall c. ought to be despised c. the same being ratified confirmed and inioyned by the regall power supremacie and authoritie lett them be excommunicated Now by all these your owne words and sentences we decree ordeine decrees of the Synod making canons by the sacred Synod ratified confirmed inioyned by the regall power c. by all these words we say we can not but beleeve that you chalendge your ecclesiasticall power of ordeining decreeing making decrees canons constitutions rites and ceremonies to be invested in your owne persons assembled by authoritie of the King from the authoritie and power of Christ and not from any spirituall or ecclesiasticall power invested in the person of the King and derived and conveighed vnto your persons assembled by his regall writt For then how should we not beleeve also but that you iudged the Kings writt to be no civil but an ecclesiasticall and spirituall writt But howsoever as yet wee beleeve not this latter yet still we beleeve that you appropriate vnto your owne persons assembled by the Kings writt a sole power and that from our Saviour Christ to give vnto your decrees canons constitutions rites and ceremonies their first being and their first birthright and that you assigne vnto the King none other power but a power of their after birth of ratifying and confirming of that life being which your persons have first put into them So that the King is in this but as it were an executioner of your canons and not you the executioners of the Kings decrees Yea thus much M. Doctor Bilson in his Book intituled True difference betweene Christian subiection vnchristian rebellion Pag. 243. avoweth testifieth whose words are these We never said that Princes had any spirituall power it is a false collection of yours it is no part of our cōfession the sword which they bear we never called but external tēporall Againe to devise new rites and ceremonies for the Church is not the Princes vocation but to receive and allow such as the Scriptures and canons commend and such as the Bishops Pastours of the place shall advise not infringing the Scriptures or canons so for all other ecclesiasticall things causes Princes be neither the devisors nor directors of them but the confirmers and establishers of that which is good and displacers and revengers of that which is evill which power we say they have in all things be they spirituall