the Doctrines of thy Grace and Gospel with the preaching thereof all preaching on thy Dayes in the afternoons and all true Catechising mainly cryed down and that all thy painfull and godly Ministers are persecuted suspended deprived cast out of all and can have no remedy either by course of Law which is stopped or by the King himselfe to wâ—om they complaine and that the Prelates of late more especially usurped a false Title to their false Government Ecclesiasticall by claiming their Prelaticall Jurisdiction from thine own divine Authority So as we cannot be any longer ignoranâ— except we will be wilfully blind that the Doctrine of the Church of England established in Queene Elizabeths dayes hath now suffered not onely an Innovation but an utter eversion and extirpation of the very foundations thereof And this Innovation this eversion being now finally concluded on in a Synod confirmed by the King and injoyned to be Sworne unto by all those aforesaid and besides all this the King himselfe professing that he hath diligently with great contentment and comfort read and considered of all the said Canons Orders Ordinances and Constitutions of the late Synod aforesaid and that he finds the same such as he is perswaded wil be very profitable to the whole Church and Kingdome And thereupon doth propound publish and straightly injoyne by his Authority and Letters Patents the same to be diligently observed executed and equally kept of all his Subjects within this Realme Now ô Lord all these things weighed and layd together Solemne and Sacred Protestations against Innovations on the one side and a mighty flood of Innovations on the other side which by Royall Authority have made a terrible universall invasion and irruption both into thy Spirituall Kingdome and this Temporal threatning speedily to sweep all away at once what shall we thinke Or what shall we say Wouldst thou have us still to dreame or imagine that here are no Innovations at all brought in either of Doctrine or Ecclesiasticall Government and all because the King hath so frequently so solemnly before Gâ—d and Angels and Men protested to the contrary Or that the Innovations concluded in this Synod are therfore no Innovations because ratified and confirmed by the Kings Letters Patents and by all the strength of Royall Authority and because commended by the King to be such as he is perswaded wil be very profitable to the whole Church and Kingdome Or may we not rather thinke or rather most certainly beleeve that for the iniquities of the Land oppression in the State persecutions of thy Ministers effusion of innocent blood of thy Servants open Profanation of thy Sabbaths and that by publicke dispensation yea in a word a contemptuous trampling of all Laws divine and humane underfeet nay yet moreâ— more especially as the orginall source and cause of all the rest a damnable Apostacie from the Gospel joyned with a desperate League with Rome too palpable to be seen so as Antichrists Religion is imbraced instead of thy True word and Gospell for this for these crying sins is it not lawfull for us to thinke at least yea to beleeve that thou in thy just judgement restrained and withheld from us the benigne influence of the Kings heart and hast so farre for a time at least for our humiliation given him up to be Seduced by the Prelates and their Romish faction and to be guided and led by their Councels as refusing to hearken to any true Information of his most loving and loyall Subjects whereof we have had of late lamentable experience he will rather hazard all his Kingdomes then either displease them or disobey their Councels But yet ô Lord seeing thy judgements are unsearchable and thy wayes past finding out we will not take upon us to judge in so deep a matter onely thou hast sayd you shall know them by their fruits But Lord the King saith He doth these things by his Prerogative Royall and Supreme Authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall Holy and Righteous Lord hast thou given to any mortall Creature to any Kings on Earth any such Prerogative Royall any such Supreme Authority over thy Church as to alter Religion at his pleasure or to confirme the alteration of the true Religion for others pleasure to make voyd by Edicts or Declarations the Saving Doctrines of thy word thy holy Commandements thine eternall Law or to sit in thy Throne over the Soules and Consciences of thy People captivating and oppressing them under the burthens of humane inventions and Superstitious Ceremonies Nay hast thou not expresly * forbidden thy People to subject their necks under any such yoake as being a denyall of thee our King and of our Redemption by thy precious blood Such usurpations therfore of man we doe ô onely Soveraigne of our soules even before Angels and men utterly renounce ‡ O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but by thee onely will we make mention of thy Name And Lord be thou our Judge between us and our oppressors in this thing and give thy People holy courage and zeale to use all lawfull meanes for the upholding of this thy Sole Royall Soveraignty over our poor Soules and Consciences against all Antichristian usurpations to the contrary And last of all whereas our King saith that he hath called and given free leave to this Synod to treat and agree upon certaine other Canons necessary for the advancement of Gods Glory the edifying of his holy Church and the due reverence of his blessed Mysteries and Sacraments which words are taken out of the Act for Conformity in Queen Elizabeths Raigne If it shall clearly appeare by this our Complaint following that the things concluded in the said Synod be neither for the advancement of Gods glory nor the edifying of his Church nor the due reverence of Christs holy Mysteries and Sâ—â—raments but quite contrary then how the Kings Authority extends to the confirmation of those things therein so concluded do thou ô Lord Judge In the next place we present our Complaint before thee ô Lord touching the most materiall Canons concluded by the â—â—id Synod and confirmed by the King The first is Concerning the Regall power 〈…〉 〈…〉 or absolute as all Tyrannicall States as that of the Turke seeing the Kingdome of England is â—empered seasoned and conditioned with good Laws which are the ordinary rules of good and just Government of the Subject the due execution whereof in the administration of the Kingdome is an essentiall part of the Kingly â—ffice which cannot be seperated one from the other To this purpose King Iames in 〈…〉 * Speecâ—es in Parliament expresly distinguisheth between an absolute Monarchie not bounded with Laws but depending onely on the will of the Prince and the King of England who saith he doth by 〈…〉 that by Oath â—nter upon the Kingdome to of their Estates let him but call a Parliament and yeeld to the redressing of their heavy grievances and he shall find us
his People most ready to yeeld him all manner of necessary due Support yea abundant more then necessary Yet Neverthelesse Subjects have not onely possession of c. Againe what assurance of true and just right title and property to and in all their goods and estates can this their Canon as it were by Canon-Law make unto the Subjects of England when all then practises both in the Ecclesiasticall and Civill Government are such such the courses of their Courts whether Ecclesiasticall or mixt as consisting of Ecclesiasticall and Civil Judges together but still where the Ecclesiasticall beare the maine Sway even there where they be fewest in number such their usurped illegall extravagant power such terrible Precedents filed up in their Courts which stand for Laws and ruled Cases for all that come after and the like as no Subject in the Kingdome can secure himselfe that any one thing or all that he possesseth are his owne For the best and surest Tenure by which every free-borne Subject holds the right and propriety of his goods is the Law of the Land But let the Subject be brought into one of their Ecclâ—siasticall Courts as aforesaid whether into their High-Commission or other Courts where the Arch-prelates sit party Iudges and be his cause never so just never so innocent never so cleare as against which no Law of the Land doth lye yet first of all in those Courts he cannot have any benefit of the Law at all and consequently where those Ecclesiasticall Judges set their Fangs they will teare a man out of all his estâ—â—e yea out of his Skin and pull his flesh from his back and breake him and his all in pieces So as at those Boards where these harpies sit against whomsoever complaints are served in being such especially as wheâ— the Ecclâ—siasticall teeth against them how quickly shall they and their whole estates be swallowed up as it were at one morsell And to the end that the Civil State may be subservient to the Ecclesiasticke these Ecclesiasticks have their care in every bâ—â—te and their finger in every pye where any thing may be pluckt from the Subject by hocke or by crooke that so as their Ecclesiastick Government is Tyrannicall so they may advance the Civil to hold correspondence with it So as now the whole Government taken together is reduced to certaine Tallâ—s even as all Religion is served up upon a Court-Cuâ—bord at the end of the Chanâ—cel wherof anone And as is noted before which least it be forgotten we mention againe whatever Conclusions or Orders are made at those Tables or Boards â—e they never so foule and shamefull they are fixed and filed up for perpetuall Laws in all such cases for time to come yea and when they please where they want a Precedent for some extraordinary feat to be done they can with a wet finger make a new Law for it Hereof if we take but a few instances it will easily appeare what truth there is in the words of this Canon which seem to give to the Subject what ever right and title and true property of estate doth or can belong unto them For first we have late Precedents to shew that no Freeman of London after he hath served his yeares and set up his Trade can be sure long to injoy the Liberty of his Trade but either he is forbidden longer to use it or is forced at length with the rest of his trade to purchase it as a Monopolie at a deare rate which they and all the Kingdome pay for Witnesse the Sope-businesse Againe no Doctor and practitioner in Physicke is sure to hold his Profession whereby he and his should live when once he comes into the High Commission Witnesse Dr. Bastwicks case Item no Minister is sure to hold his free-hold his Benefice which is by Law his freehold if once he be quarrelled in the High Commission yea or in other inferiour Ecclesiasticall Courts Witnesse manifold Precedents in the Land Item none can be sure that his goods are his owne when all and more then all are taken from 〈…〉 Witnesse Mr Henry Buâ—ton one of the foresaid three Item none can be sure of his right and title propriety and interest which the Divine Law and Sacred Ordinance of God hath given a man in his own Wife but that one of these Boards shall 〈…〉 him as by vertue thereof being confined to perpetuall 〈◊〉 prison his Wife shal be perpetually seperated from him so as if she shall dare to hazzard her life in a farâ—e â—ourney by Sea which She would doe to have but a sight oâ— her Husbands face she must be sent Prisoner backe againe Witnesse the case both of Dr Bastwâ—cke and Mr Burton aforesaid Many more instances might be brought But these Summed up together let any English Subject now resolve what assurance oâ—true and just â—ight title and property to and in all their goods and estates or in any of the particular instances forespecified this false and wicked Canon can give him Let him be but brought before one of these Boards and he shal be stript of all They will pretend this and that I wot not what heâ—nous crime 〈…〉 as they did against those three aforesaid when they could not prove any such thing And Mr Burtons Case in particular being a Minister was so cleare his defensive Answere being orderly admitted in Court and before the day of 〈◊〉 by the Courts order expanged by two of the Judges oâ— that Court as Impertinent and Scandalous as they could object nothing against him at the Censure but proceed against him Pro Confessâ— all his fault being his refusaâ—l to answere 〈◊〉 Interrogatories which if he had done he had betrayed his Cause and layd both it and himselfe open to the just lash of the Court by assenting to the condemnation of his innocent Cause before it was heard Which one Example well weighed what Cause so innocent so just can look to escape Scot free But thus we see ö Lord and thou better seest what truth these Canonists have in them whose words pretend all right to the Subject and whose deeds doe practise the bringing of all mens soules bodies and estates under the yoake of an universall Tyranny To proceed For the third the setting up of an independent coactive power Papall or popular which undermines they say the Royall Office and cunningly overthrows the sacred ordinance of Godthis being meant of the State of Religion if it be Papall it is altogether unlawfull as being Antichristian but being according to thy word every Christian State is bound to 〈◊〉 it up and maintaine it and no Christian King ought to hinder or oppose it But as for all Pre 〈…〉 it is meerly Papall and Antichristian though not in the first degree the Pope usurping an universall power over all the Churches in the world yet in a second Every Prelate in his Diocese exercising a Papall power and so doth cunningly undermine the Royall Office and overthrew Gods
in any of the things aforesaid restore them by repentance and establish them all by thy Grace that they may so stand for thy Truth and their Salvation here as they may one day stand undaunted before the Son of Man at his appearing And further we note out of the words of the Oath That they are to Sweare they doe approve the Doctrine and 〈◊〉 line established in the Church of England as containing all things necessary to Salvation Now will they say that the Discipline or Government of the Church of England containeth any thing necessary to Salvation seeing herein they joyne it with Doctrine as containing together all things necessary to Salvation Nay is not the Discipline and Government any enemy to Salvation seeing it is altogether Antichristian Tyrannicall and a meere usurpation and in the whole practise of it and in all the Rites and Ceremonies against the word of God and against the Doctrine and Practise of the Apostles and a most notorious and pestilent persecuter of the true Saints and Servants of God and a rooter out of all true Religion and godlinesse out of the Land Is it not Antichristian and usurping Christs Throne and Soveraignty over the Consciences of his People which is expresly and directly contrary to the Apostles Doctrine so as the subjection thereunto is clearely proved by the ‡ Apostle to be a denying of Christ and so a loosing of Salvation And for the Doctrine of the Church of England how can it be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation when the most principall Articles of Saving Grace are made of none effect and are forbidden to be preached to the people And suppose all the 39 Articles were intire and not corrupted but preserved in their true sense agreeing with Scripture as ‡ some of them are not yet they cannot be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation For onely the holy Scripture which is the onely ad quate Rule of Faith containeth all things necessary to Salvation it being a cleare Commentary and exposition of it selfe and a Rule whereby to try all humane writings of Divinity whatsoever Thus the matter of the Oath it selfe is most false and blasphemous which with all the rest we referre to thy judgement ô Lord Againe A man must sweare not to bring in any Popish Doctrine â—nâ—rary to that which is so established We conceive this to be no Church Secondly for Bishops we find the name indeed in 〈◊〉 ture but not a Diocesan Bishop but such a one as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a particular Congregation to feed the flocke of God as thy * 〈◊〉 teacheth And we find Deacons also but no Archdeacons And to set Archdeacons over Presbyters is not onely an incougâ—â—ity and disorder and so not right as it ought to be but also a 〈◊〉 Antichristian guise and usurpation As for Deanes they are of a later institution And as for Archbishops they confesse that the Apoâ—â—es were all equall how come they then to be superiour to other Diocesan Bishops who claime to be the Apostles success â—â— By this reckoning an Archbishop should have been superiour to the Apostlâ—s So as this Archiepiscopall Government stands not rightly established as being in a more Superlative degree Antichristian then ordinary Bishops nor can he with them shift or put off their Government to be Antichristian and Papall the Metropolitan of all England being that over England which the Pope challengeth to be over the Church Catholicke And that the present Arch-Prelate carries himselfe as the Pope of England whose Canon is a Law let but this wicked Synod witnesse whereof he is the Papall President and this Papall Oath withall which is drawn up and imposed on all Ministers after the manner of that Oath which Paul the fourth added to his Councel â—â—â—rent for all his Clergie to take and so to Sweare to all the Doctrines and Canons concluded in that Councel Thus ô Lord we could not but in this perplexed case open our minds and as the Prophet saith ‡ open our Cause before thee The Seaventh Canon A Declaration concerning some Rites and Ceremonies This Canon is generally for an uniformity in will-worship throughout all England and particularly in the introducing of Altars in every Church with the Service about it The Canon for this first pretends how it were to be wished that unity of Faith were accompanied with uniformity of practise in the outward worship and Service of God Now this outward worship is meerly of mans devising a will-worship and expresly forbidden and condemned by the ‡ Apostle and therefore no Service of God So as the uniformity herein overthroweth not onely the unity of Faith but the faith it selfe as Col. 2. And againe such will-worship of mans invention is a fruit of the pride and presumption of mans aine and gracelesse heart and so cannot be truely called the Service of God For our God hates all such service as himselfe hath not commanded and prescribed in his word according as thou 〈…〉 Againe this Sâ—â—d pretends for this their wished uniformity in 〈◊〉 worship two things 1. the avoyding of suspicious feares of Innovation by the weake 2. the hope of Papists of Englands backesâ—â—ding into Popish Superstition and both by reason of the Situation of the Communion Table and the approaches thereunto And might not the Synod then with more ease have removed quite away both the feare of the one and the hope of the other in leting the Communion Tables stand where they were wont to do When a Stumbling blocke stands in a darke way whether is it not better for the preventing of stumbling to remove the blocke then to write upon it Beware of this Stumbling blocke Shall not every man that passeth that way sooner break his Shinnes or bones then â—ake notice of the writing for prevention And can every one take warning by the Canon to avoyd the offence so well as if the Scandall were quite taken away When in Ezekâ—â— his time the people began to worship that monument of the brazen Serpent the good King brake it to pieces And is it not better 〈…〉 â—e now Altars to be set up in all Câ—â—â—â—es throughout Englandâ—â—â— hereupon the Synod tells us for it is conscious enough of it 〈◊〉 Papists flatter themselves with a hope of our backeâ—â—ding into their Popish Superstition Doe they so How come they thus to hope From the seting up of your Altâ—â—s you will say And to what purpose then is your former Canon for Suppressing the growth of Popery when this Canon will make them grow faster out of a hope of Englands backesâ—ding to them then the former will Suppresse their growth for feare of all the emptie charge thereof or for any counterfeit shows these men can make of winning them to our Church unlesse the Altars be of more force to doe it when they see especially those Superstitions or rather Idolatrous approaches thereunto But the Synod calls their hope a vaine hope That
sound preachers in them usually as other Parochiall Churches in the Kingdome that would have ript up the rotten bowels of Popish Supersition so fairely painted over in goodly Images Crucifixes and the like unremoved in those places there had not by this time remained one Romish ragge whereof this Synod might make a coat for the Church of England now to be fashioned by But now the Coat is made up all the Skill will be how to perswade this whole Church to put it on Yea it is so little and strait as being measured and patternd by two or three Chappels and a few Cathedralls it wil be very hard to force it upon Englands broad backe without extreme pinching of it or tearing the Coat Now for this in the last place this Courteous and kind Synod wheras it might command is pleased to stoop so low as to intreat yea heartily to intreat againe and againe We say they heartily commend this to all good and well affected people members of this Church c. And a little lower againe The reviving of this ancient and Laudable Custome we heartily commend to the serious câ—nsideration of all good people And for this reason perswades us to beleeve that the Synod is cordiall in redubbling such hearty Commendations of such Romish reliques and so Laudable Customes to all good people First because good people will not easily be drawn to such things without some strong motive nor with that neither And secondly could their hearty Commendations prevaile in this it would greatly conduce to a speedy making up of that Reconciliation between the Church of England and of Rome so greatly desired and laboured in the Primates Late Relation the President of this Synod Who tells us there more plainly what we may understand here by Commending for saith he pag. 7. there is a Laudendo praecipere by Lauding or Commending 〈◊〉 Command And therefore they stick not to be so Liberall in their hearty Commendations of this brave piece of Service But why should now this Spirit be conjured up againe or this dead Coale of Romish zeale revived having for so long a time lyen consopited yea dead under a heap of ashes never to have kindled flames or troubled the world againe Why should this Satan of our peace which had been so long bound now be let loose againe to set Kingdomes in a combustion â— Surely they told us before uniformâ—ty is to be desired How â— In a conformity to the Royall Chappels and Cathedrals But were it not every way better that those few should give place and rather conforme to the Generality of all the Churches in England where these Superstitions had been cast out and all quiet then that the Generality should conform to a few to indanger the whole State and hazzard the losse of allâ— But in the last place they come with a pretty handsome Close saying In the practise or omission of this Rite we desire that the rule of Charity prescribed by the Apostle may be observed which is that they which use this Rite despise not them who use it not and that they who use it not condemne not those that use it O Lord God * how long shall the wicked blaspheme thy Name For ever Can they not be content to abuse thy People in leading and drawing them into all manner of Superstition but they must usurpe the Apostles rule and pervert it to the maintenance of such blind and damned Rites The Rule of the Apostle is for the use of things in their own nature indifferent as eating or not eating wherein Charity is to preserve peace but it gives no countenance at all to things altogether unlawfull in themselves and no way indifferent as before And had these men true Charity they would be so farre from pressing these things to a generall use as they would rather altogether suppresse them where they are used as being a Stumbling blocke to the whole Land upon the which if not removed the whole Land must stumble and fall And therefore had this Synod had any one sparke of an Apostolicall Spirit in it as they show it to be altogether Apostaticall it would in the first place have rather observed the Apostles Rule for a man not to put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way then breaking this Rule of Charity have abused the Apostles words to prescribe to a whole Land a Rule of false Charity But to thee O Lord doe we commit the judgement of this whole Cause which we can doe no more nor lesse but complain of to thy Majasty the righteous judge of all the world Canon 8. Of Preaching for Conformity This Synod here for the more strenthening of their Canons and the more facilitating of the way to Conformity thereunto must injoâ—ne their Priests whom they have in their chaine fast bound by Subscription by Oath of Canonicall obedience and by Oath of this Synod to the observation of the Decrees thereof and other their Lordships commands to preach for Conformity and inspeciall for conformity to the Canon immediately forefoing which this Canon immediately succeeds as pointing them to that before as followeth in the Canon the tenour whereof is Whereas the Preaching of Order and Decencie according to S. Pauls rule doth conduce to Edification it is required that all Preachers as well beneficed men as others shall positively and plainly preach and instruct the people in their publicke Sermons twice in the yeare at Soules from the yoake of such vile Slavery unlesse you have so much courage in you as to deny to doe these base 〈◊〉 dâ—udgerres for these your Tâ—â—kemasters though you be Suspended for it and loose all you have Strengthen 〈◊〉 Lord all thâ—â—e to stand fast in thy truth and not to betray it with themâ—â—â—â— their People and the whole State of the Land Now passing by the 9th 10th 11th 12th Canons as of 〈◊〉 moment in the 13th Of Excommunication and Absolution not to be pronounced but by a Priest Herein first we may observe what kind of Excommunications and Absolutions have been usuall in our Prelates 〈…〉 extreme abusie and prefanation of Christs Ordinance 〈…〉 of his Church Which Ordinance as it doth 〈…〉 belong to the Prelate whose whole Order 〈…〉 â—eere usurpation so it is most basely abused 〈…〉 and their Officers So as here is a Reformat 〈…〉 at the best is stark nought as being an 〈◊〉 usurpation For in this Canon they take away all power from every 〈◊〉 of his Congregation to whom with others appointed by the Parish according to Gods word belongs the power of Ecclesiasâ—call Censures And in this Canon also he that is absolved must become more bound then ever he was before because first he must take an Oath de parendo Juri stando Mandatis beclesiae of obeying the Canons and standing to the Commands of the Church So as his Absolution becomes his bondage when now in stead of Gods Commandements he must be subject to the