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-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-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-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
ARTICLES OF VISITATION and ENQUIRY Within the Diocess of ELY IN THE Second Episcopal Visitation OF THE Right Reverend FATHER in GOD PETER By Divine Permission LORD BISHOP of ELY In the fifth Year of his Translation LONDON Printed by S. Roycroft 1679. The Tenour of the Oath to be administred to the Church-wardens and Side-men YOU shall Swear diligently to Enquire and true Presentment make of every person now or lately of your Parish which hath made any default or offence enquirable by the King's Laws Ecclesiastical and become known unto you So help you God and the Contents of his Holy Gospel Articles of Instruction and Direction to the Church-wardens and Side-men of what they are to take more especial Notice in their Presentments Concerning Religion and the Government of the Church Established in this Realm IMprimis Is there any in your Parish who are guilty of Atheistical or blasphemous Speeches against the Majesty of Almighty God or Scoffers at Religion and the Souls future immortal state Is there any guilty of Speeches of Infidelity against the faith of our Lord Iesus Christ Any who in their communication or otherwise defend the Socinian or Arrian Heresie denying the Eternal Godhead of the Lord Iesus or Pelagian denying the necessity of his Grace and of Baptism for the washing away of Original Sin II. Is there any one that doth affirm or teach and who is he that the holy Scripture doth not contain all things necessary to Salvation or that what is contained in the 3 Creeds ought not throughly to be received and believed or that the Church hath not Authority in Controversies of Faith III. Is there any that doth affirm and teach that the Church of England by law established is not a true and Apostolical Church and a true member of the Catholick Church having in her all things necessary to Salvation Or is there any that doth affirm and teach that the XXXIX Articles agreed upon by the Arch-bishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London A.D. 1562. are in any part erroneous or superstitious or such as may not with a good conscience be subscribed unto IV. Is there any in your Parish that doth affirm and teach that the Form of God's Worship in the Church of England established by law and contained in the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments is a corrupt Popish or any way superstitious or unlawful Worship of God or containeth any thing in it that is repugnant to Scripture or to the Doctrine and Worship in the Catholick or Primitive Church V. Is there any that doth affirm or teach and who is he that Baptism of Infants according as is practised in the Church of England is unlawful or unnecessary or better to be delayed or not appointed for the Remission of Sins or that it may be repeated or that Infants duly baptized according to the Churches Order and dying before they commit actual sin are not saved everlastingly through God's grace given them in Baptism VI. Is there any who doth affirm or teach that the king's Majesty hath not the same Authority in Causes Ecclesiastical which we see hath been given always to all godly Princes by God himself both among the Iews and in the Christian Church Or that doth any way deny or impugn the king's Majesties Royal Authority or Supremacy in Causes Ecclesiastical in this Realm Or who denies that within his Majesties Realms of England Scotland and Ireland and all other his Dominions and Countries our Lord the king is the highest Power under God to whom the chief Government of all Estates whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in all Causes doth appertain without any subjection due from Him or his Subjects to any foreign Iurisdiction VII Is there any who doth affirm and teach and who is he that the Government of the Church of England under his Majesty by Arch-bishops Bishops Deans Arch-Deacons or other chief Ministers bearing office in the same or that the forms or manner of Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons established by law contains any thing that is Antichristian or repugnant to the word of God or to the practice of the Catholick Church Or that persons so ordained Bishops Priests or Deacons have not sufficient external calling or that they ought not to be accounted truly Bishops Priests or Deacons till they have some other external calling unto those divine Offices or that teaches that those three holy Orders abovesaid have not been ever in Christ's Church even from the Apostles time VIII Is there any in your Parish and who is he that separating himself from this Church and from the Communion of Saints therein joyning himself to Conventicles breaks the Communion of the Church of England and so the Communion of the Catholick Church of whose Communion hers is a part or accounts of others as prophane and none of the godly for their orderly conforming themselves to the Church of England as established by law Or that any combining themselves in Assemblies or Congregations of the king's born Subjects within this Land other then such as by the Laws of this Land are held and allowed may truly take unto themselves the name of another purer Church or of the Church of England IX Is there any who doth affirm and teach and who is he that the Rites and Ceremonies and the Rules of the Church of England by law established are Antichristian superstitious or frivolous or any way unlawful or such as may not be subscribed unto and practised with a good conscience or that the Church hath no power to decree any such Rites and Ceremonies Concerning the Clergy their Duty and Office I. IS your Parson Vicar or also Curate in holy Orders by Episcopal Ordination a Priest ordained according to the laws of the Church of England hath he been legally instituted and inducted into his Benefice or is he known or suspected to have obtained his Parsonage or Vicarage by any Symoniacal Contract II. Did he within two Months after his Induction publickly in your Church or Chappel upon some Sunday or Holy day in the time of Divine Service openly read the XXXIX Articles ' established by Authority in this Church A. D. 1562. and then profess and publish his assent and subscribe his name thereto in the presence of the Church-wardens Do you not know or have you not heard that in his reading or pretending to read those XXXIX Articles he passed over some one or more of them or some part of one or more and what part of the Articles was it that he left unread Did your Parson Vicar or Curate upon some Lord's-day within two Months after his Induction solemnly read in your Church or Chappel both the Morning and Evening Prayer as it is appointed in the Book of common-Common-Prayer by law established And did he after such reading
Doth your Parson Vicar or Curate celebrate Matrimony betwixt any persons without the Banns of Matrimony first published on three several Sundays or Holy-days in the Parish-Church or Chappel where the said Parties dwell or at any times by Law prohibited without special Faculty or License in either case granted by lawful Authority Or doth he celebrate the same in any other place than in the Church and in such Church or Chappel only where both or one of the parties dwell though he have License granted by the Ordinary or in the Church at any other time then between the hours of eight and twelve in the Forenoon Or betwixt such persons as are prohibited by the Laws of God and are within those Degrees of Consanguinity or Affinity which are expressed in the Table of Marriage or under the Age of One and twenty years compleat without the consent of their Parents or of their Guardians and Governours if their Parents be dead first signified unto him XXII Or have any such Licenses as above-mentioned that you know of been granted by any under the Iurisdiction of this Diocess for the celebration of Matrimony until it do appear to the person himself who is judge in these cases by the Oaths of two sufficient witnesses one of them being known to the Iudge or to some person whom the Iudge may reasonably trust in this particular That the express consent of the Parents or Parent if one be dead or Guardian or Guardians of the Parties except they both were in the state of Widowhood is thereunto had and obtained and until one of the Parties to be Married have personally Sworn that he believeth there is no let or impediment of Precontract Kindred or Alliance or any other lawful cause nor any suit commenced in any Ecclesiastical Court to bar or hinder the proceeding of the said Matrimony XXIII Hath your Minister admitted any Women delivered of any Child begotten in Adultery or Fornication to be churched without License from the Ordinary XXIV Doth your Minister serve more than one Church or Chappel in distinct Parishes on one day if so how far distant are those Churches or Chappels which he so serveth XXV Doth your Parson Vicar or Curate if commanded by the Ordinary openly some Sunday denounce and declare for Excommunicate all such as stand Excommunicate by the Law of the Church to the end that others may be admonished to refrain their Company hath he said Divine Service whilst he knew such Excommunicate persons to have been in the Church or admitted such to the Communion whilst they stood so excommunicate XXVI Doth your Parson Vicar or Curate having convenient notice given delay or refuse to bury any that are brought to the Church or Church-yard according to the form prescribed in the Book of common-Common-Prayer except such as die either unbaptized or Excommunicate Majori Excommunicatione and no man able to testifie their Repentance or have laid violent hands upon themselves XXVII Doth your Minister in the Parish Church or Chappel where he hath charge read the Book of Canons and Constitutions agreed on at the Synod holden at London A. D. 1603 once every year upon some Sundays or Holy-days in the Afternoon before Divine Service and doth he so divide the same as the one half may be read one day and the other half the other day XXVIII Doth your Minister publickly read the whole XXXIX Articles unto the people twice every year so that they may the better understand the same and be made more throughly acquainted with the Doctrine of the Church of England and not be so easily drawn away from the same as formerly before they know what it is XXXIX Is any Lecture preached in your Church is he or are they who preach it Licensed so to do by the Bishop Doth every such one before his Lecture either read the whole publick Service himself appointed for that day by the Church in his Surplice or at least be present at the whole reading thereof and is he in all respects conformable to the Laws and Orders of the Church of England Or doth he any way endeavour to bring the Parson or Vicar of the place into disrepute with his Parishioners XXX Doth every one abide in his own Calling whereunto he is called viz. Doth any Lay-man that is not duly ordained openly read Common-Prayer or execute any Ministerial duty in your Church Or is there any Clergy-man viz. any in Holy Orders who doth voluntarily relinquish those his Orders and use himself as a Lay man only without taking any care of the Church of God Concerning the Parishioners I. HAve you any persons or person living in your Parish that to your knowledge live not as becomes a Christian according to his promise and vow made in his Baptizm viz. denying ungodliness and worldly lusts living soberly justly and godly II. Have you any in your Parish who wilfully absent themselves from your Church or Chappel either at Morning or Evening Prayer upon Sundays and other days appointed by law to be used and kept as Holy-days or who come late to Church or depart from thence before Service be done and the blessing given Or hate you any that upon any Holy-days keep open shops or sell wares or follow their bodily and ordinary labour or trade or permit their Servants so to do in time of Divine Service Or have you any Dintners Inn-keepers or other Victualiers or sellers of Beer or Ale that permit any on such times to tipple or game in their houses or upon any pretence whatsoever except in some necessity as of sickness to remain in their houses in the time of Divine Service or Sermon Forenoon or Afternoon upon those days or any that will come to hear Sermons but will not come to the Common-Prayer and Worship of God appointed in this Church III. Are there any in your Parish of years of understanding that remain unbaptized or any that refuse to send their Infants to be baptized publickly in the Church in due time except in cases of necessity or in such cases do they procure them to be baptized at home in due manner according to the order of the Church of England Or are there any that send their Children away from their own Minister present among them to be baptized in other Churches Or any persons that being unconfirmed are not instructed in their Catechism or not Religiously brought up or not brought to confirmation or being of years neglect themselves to seek it upon pretence of elder age or of having received the Communion or Orders or upon any other pretence whatsoever Or are there any that being Sixteen years of Age do not receive the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist three times in the year whereof Easter to be one Or that doth forsake their own Parish-Church to receive elsewhere Or are there any married Women who after their delivery from the pain and peril
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-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-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.