since been both the Jaylors and the Devils Prisoners and we are very much afraid a great part of our own Clergy and Laity must have born them Company So that we can foresee no better Apology for the Convocation that fram'd these Canons than this That they seem only to have designed them for the old rusty Armor of our Church to be hung up for Terror rather than to be used for Execution For it cannot be denied that how little Charity soever those had that made them our Bishops have generally since had more Christian Tenderness than to Prosecute all in their Courts whom these Canons make so hainous Criminals And therefore were we of the Laity worthy to offer our humble Advice to the present Convocation we should recommend it to them as a piâ—ce of necessary Prudence as well as Charity to Cashier these ill-natur'd Canons For they do but frighten the silly Dissenters the more from our Communion and are a standing Râ—proach to our Church her self on these two Accounts 1. Were the Assertions here censurâ—d never so dangerous Heresies an ipso facto Excommunication is an unreasonable thing 'T is no better than passing Sentence on an Offender before any Attempts are used to reclaim him which is a gross Absurdity in Ecclesiastical â—auses whâ—re 't is not the bare Offence subjects Men to that Censure of the Church but Obstinacy in it For these Canons quite contrary to our Saviour and his Apostles Rule make a Heathen and a Publican of our Brother before he is ever told of his fault they reject him before he be admonish'd Whereas Divine Justice it self does not subject Men to the Sentence of Condemnation meerly for their Sins themselves but for their Impenitency in them And sure the Church should not use greater Severity and therefore should not in those Câ—nsures which Tertullian calls Summum futuri judicii praejudicium exclude Men from her Communion ipso facto upon their having run into Errors or Crimes but upon their persisting incorrigibly in them And what Lindwood observes concerning such Canons as these does not wholly excuse them namâ—ly That a dâ—claratory Sentence of the Judg is necessary notwithstanding the ipso-facto Excommunication to a Mans being avoided as an Excommunicate Person by others For all that this can amount to is no more than to say That tho a Mans Mittimus to the Devil is drawn up by these Canons yet his Neighbours are not to take notice of it till it be publish'd but for all that the Man is truly Excommunicated and that without any other precedent Admonition than what the Canons themselves give him which few of us ever read or see No personal Admonition being used to prevent his Excommunication but only to restore him by Absolution And if these Canons be just all whom they Excommunicate are bound in Conscience to forbear the Churches Communion and therefore we cannot in consistency with our selves invite the Dissenters into it unless we could either change their Minds or at least put Gags into their Mouths But were this all the Fault of these Canons the matter were more tolerable But 2. The Assertions themselves mention'd in the Canons can by no means desâ—rve so heavy a Censure For as Excommunication is the highest Censure of the Church which according to the Form us'd in our own excludes the Person excommunicated from all Christian Society and cuts him off as a dead Member from the Body of Christ so it should never be us'd against any but those who are guilty of such pernicious Errors or hainous Crimes as give all imaginable ground to believe them in a state of damnation Such as those mentioned 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5 19 20. 2 Tim. 3.2 3 c. For otherwisâ— we might shut those out of our Communion whom our blâ—ssed Saviour receives into his and dangerously cut off the living instead of the dead Members of his Mystiâ—al Body Besides Nothing will sooner bring that sacred part of the Church's Discipline into contempt than the using it â—n slight and frivolous Occasions as we shall further shew afterwards when we come to speak of Ecclesiastical Courts Sess 25. Decr. de Reform cap. 3. 'T was a grave and wise Caution of the Council of Trent though they had not the grace to follow it themselves That though the Sword of Excommunication be the very sinews of Ecclesiastical Discipline and very wholsom to keep the People in obedience yet it should be warily us'd lest if it be drawn out rashly on every slight cause the People should rather despise than dread it For if Clergy-men will so far trifle with those solemn Censures as to thunder out Excommunications against all that keep Easter the wrong day or maintain Antipodes or wear Beards of a wrong cut c. as some Wise and Learned Popes have formerly done 'T is no wonder if Men come to look upon them as Ecclesiastical Scarecrows and provided they can scape the Jaylor set the Bishop at defiance And though the Assertions censur'd in these Canons be not altogether such Trifles yet they are some of them things too dubious to Men oâ— mean Capacities that have a fatal biass of an unhappy Education clapt on their Understandings and of too small consequence to bear the weight of so heavy a doom For what tho the Dissenters should arraign the Offic of Burial read over the Graves of all the notorious Villains that have the good fortune to escape or buy off an Excommunication or censure the use of our God-faâ—â—ers as exclusive of the Parents publick undertaking for the religious Education of his own Child What though they foolishly mistake the Sign of the Cross for a New Sacrament what tho they dispute against that Passage in the Book of Ordination that asserts the divine right of three distinct Offices Bishops Priests and Deacons What tho they be more peevish and untoward and censure the very Office of our Bishops as they are by the late Alterations in the Book of Ordination made the sole Pastors of all the Churches in their several Dioceses Nay what though they affirm their own Congregations to be true and lawful Churches shall we on the score of their declaring their mistaken Opinion in any one of these disputable matters treat them as if they had denied all the Articles of the Apostle's Creed or broken all the Ten Commandments Nor are the Dissenters the only Persons concern'd in these Canons There are few of our Latitudinarian Clergy as some are pleas'd to call all that have not as narrow Souls as their own but will freely in their Discourses censure some things in the Government of our Church particularly the Lay-chancellors Power of decreeing Excommunications And all these must expect no quarter from the 7th Canon So that these Canons will quickly retrench the corpulency of our Church and reduce it to the small number of Bigots who it seems are not so ridiculous as they seem'd to be in monopolizing the Character
of her True Sons to themsâ—lveâ— And yet even of the Bigots there are so many that frequently arraign some of our Articles in the Pulpit it self particularly the 17th about the Doctrine of Election that we see not how they will escape the 5th Canon And if we were not afraid of being sent to the Devil for company by virtue of the 139. Can. we would make bold to question the Convocations being the Church of England by Representation See the Pref. 'T is strange how they shou'd Represent us of the Laity who never Chose or Deputed ' em 'T is much stranger how they shou'd Represent the K. and Parliament who I hope are a very Excâ—llent part of our Church for if they do we see not what occasion there can be to interpose their Authority anew to give force to their Canons They can at the most only Represent the Clergy of our Church and are indeed no more than the King 's and â—â—rliament's Ecclesiastical Council to adviâ—e 'em what Laws relating to the Church they shall enact by thâ—ir Authority circa Sacra For all their Canons would never bind one Consciences as the Laws of the Church if the Civil Authority made 'em not the Laws of thâ— Land To sum up this Head Why should we think our Convocation so infallible and the Constitutions of our Church so absolutâ—ly perfect that a man cannot find the least fault with any one of them under a less penalty than being cut off as a dead member from the Body of Christ This is as inexcusâ—ble a rigor as if our Parliament should make it no less than Banishment for any Subject to dispute the Equity of the least Clause in the whole Book of Statutes So that if the Convocation think fit to keep up these Canons still it were very great Charity to clap Padlocks on the Tongues of the People to prevent their running into the Devils Clutches by prating too freely against the Orders of our Church And perhaps it was the sagacious foresight of such Complaints as these made that wise Convâ—câ—tion by way of prevention excommunicate among the rest all that should affirm 'em to be A Company of mâ—n that conspired against godly and religious Professors of the Gâ—spel or assert That their Canons should be despised or rejected Only they were careful to twist in the Kings Authority with their own that he who slighted the Convocation might be thought to trample on the Crown Of Corruptions in the Ecclesiastical Courts AND here we do most humbly desire that the Reverend Guides of our Church will patiently hear us and especially those of that Venerable and truly Apostolical Order and if any expressions should drop from us that may seem inconsistent with that filial duty we owe to 'em we desire it may be imputed to our great zeal for 'em and we shall as submissively fall on our Knees to beg their Pardon as we would do on any other occasion to implore their Blessing Mâ—ny of the old Corruptions saith one of our Reverend Fathers in God do yet remain among us in practice Dr. Barnet's Thanksg Ser. before the H. of Commons Jan 31. p. 33 and the administration of the Ecclesiastical Authority is liable to great Objâ—ctions I will not run out in farther particulars for it will be easie to find them and if you once set abâ—ut it you will soon see whâ—t work is before you We shall confine our Discourse chiefly to the high and dreadful Sentence of Excommuâ—ication for so it is in its self and was always so esteemâ—d by devout Souls till the great and scandalous Abuses and Corruptions of it in these latter days hath made it contemptible to that degree that sinners do no more value 〈◊〉 than men do the threatning predictions of a common Almanaâ—k maker concerning Thunder and Lightning We have many things here to offer under these following Heads 1. The Persons that manage it 2. The Causes for which it is inflicted 3. The manner of proceeding in our Ecclesiastical Courts 4. The things that ensue on the sentence of Excommunication 1. The Persons that manage it And into whose hands would a man rationally expect the Keys should be put but theirs to whom Christ and his Apostles have given thâ—m and where the Primitive Church left them Who should judg Spiritual Matters but Spiritual Men Who should correct the children but their Fathers and discipline Souls but they that have the Care of them and watch over them as those that must give an account They that so justly claim the Power of Ordination why should they not have that of Excommunication and deliver up to Satan as well as give the Holy Ghost What is it that can reasonably be supposed to hinder our Reverend Biâ—hops from minding so great and necessary a part of their Offâ—ce Is it their great diligence in Preaching 'T is true this â—ur Church doth strictly tie them unto The a 1 Tim. 3. apt to teach Epiâ—â—le or that b Acts 20 17. have taught you publickly and from house to house take heed therefore to your sâ—lves and to all the stock over which the H. Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God c. which is appointed for it and the c St. John 21. Jâ—sâ—â—â—â—ith to Peter lovest thou me more than these Feâ—d my lambs Feed my sâ—â—â—â— c. Mâ—â— 28.18 Go and teaâ—h all naonâ— c. Gospel read at their Consecration puts them in â—ind of it Nay they formally promise it For these are Two of the Questions propounded to them 〈◊〉 the Arch-Bishop d See the form of the Consecration of Bisâ—â—ps Are you determined out of â—â—e Holy Scriptures to instruct the people â—ommitted to your â—harge Will you then faithfully exâ—rcise yâ—ur sâ—lf 〈◊〉 the same Holy Scriptures and call upon God by Prayâ— for the true understanding â—f the same so as ye may be â—ble by them to teach and exhort by wholâ—some Doctrine â—d to withstand and convince the gainsayers To which â—â—e Bishop answers e See to â—he same â—urâ—â—se the Collect immediately following Vâ—ni creator spiritus and the 〈◊〉 of the â—â—ch-Bishop to the Bishop when he delivers him the Bible and the first of the three 〈◊〉 Prayers said for the last Collect immediately before the Benediction I am so determined by Gods â—â—â—ce and I will so do by the hâ—lp of God And the â—ractice of some of our Reverend Fathers does convincingly shew they are no strangers to Gods grace or help See the first Collect in the Consecration of Bishops See the Collect in the Consecrat said next after the Litany See the Collect after Veni Creator in this particular But will diligence in one duty excuse the neglect of another Doth not our Church pray Almighty God to give to all Bishops the Pastâ—rs of his Church that they may duly administer godly Discipline as well as diligently preach the Word and That they may faithfully
were no difficult Task to shew and were worthy the Observation of any Historian that would give a true Account of the continuance and increase of our deplorable Divisions And as we dislike this Notion the more when we consider the purposes and designs for which 't is calculated so we have this Argument to urge why it should be disown'd viz. Because it plainly sets up a Foreign Jurisdiction against which the Nation is solemnly sworn The second Canon excommunicates ipso facto all Impugners of the King's Supremacy Agâ—inst which we think there is nothing can be objected but the fault common to it with the 10 following Canons viz. Excommunicating ipso facto Of which more under these following Canons Can. 3. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That the Church of England by Law established under the King's Majesty is not a true and Apostolical Church teaching and maintaining the Doctrine of the Apostles Let him be excommunicated ipso facto and not restored but only by the Archbishop after his Repentance and publick Revocation of such his wicked Error Can. 4. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm 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 superstitious or unlawful Worship of God or contains any thing in it repugnant to the Scriptures Let him be excommunicated ipso facto Can. 5. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That any of the 39 Articles agreed upon by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London 1562 c. are in any part superstitious or erroneous or such as he may not with a good Conscience subscribe unto Let him be excommunicate ipso facto Can. 6. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England by Law establish'd are Wicked Antichristian or Superstitious or such as being commanded by lawful Authority men who are zealously and godly affected may not with any good Conscience approve 'em use 'em or as occasion requires subscribe to 'em Let him be excommunicate ipso facto Can. 7. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That the Government of the Church of England under His Majesty by Archbishops Bishops Deans Archdeacons and the rest that bear Office in the same is Antichristian or repugnant to the Word of God Let him be excommunicate c. Can. 8. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm or teach That the form and manner of making and consecrating Bishops Priests and Deacons contains any thing in it repugnant to the Word of God or that they who are made Bishops c. Let him be excommunicate ipso facto Can. 9. Whosoever shall hereafter separate themselves from the Communion of Saints as 't is approved by the Apostles Rules in the Church of England and combine themselves together in a new Brotherhood c. Let him be excommunicate ipso facto Can. 10. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That such Ministers as refuse to subscribe to the form and manner of God's Worship in the Church of England prescribed in the Communion-book may truly take to 'em the Name of another Church not established by Law and dare presumâ— to publish it That this their pretended Church has of long time groan'd under the burden of certain grievances imposed upon it and upon the Members thereof before mentioned by the Church of England and the Orders and Constitutions therein by Law established Let him be excommunicate ipso facto Can. 11. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm or maintain That there are within this Realm other Meetings Assemblies or Congregations of the King 's born Subjects than such as by the Laws of this Land are held and allowed which may rightly challenge to themselves the Name of true and lawful Churches Let him be excommunicate c. Can. 12. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That 't is lawful for any sort of Ministers or Lay-persons or either of them to join together and make Rules Orders or Constitutions in Causes Ecclesiastical without the King's Authority and shall submit themselves to be ruled and governed by them Let him be excommunicate ipso facto To these may be added Can. 139. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That the Sacred Synod of this Nation in the Name of Christ and by the King's Authority assembled is not the true Church of England by representation Let him be excommunicate c. Can. 140. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That no manner of person either of the Clergy or Laity not being themselves particularly assembled in the said Sacred Synod are to be subject to the Decrees thereof in Causes Ecclesiastical made and ratified by the King's Majesty's Supreme Authority as not having given their voices to them Let him be excommunicate c. Can. 141. Whosoever shall hereafter affirm That the Sacred Synod assembled as aforesaid was a Company of such persons as did conspire together against godly and religious Professors of the Gospel and that therefore both They and their Proceedings in making of Canons and Constitutions in Causes Ecclesiastical by the King's Authority as aforesaid ought to be despised and contemned the same being ratified by the same Regal Power Let him be excommunicate c. We have often heard our Clergy mention among many other Excellencies of our Church her admirable Charity towards those that differ from her and we have hitherto taken it for one of her just Characters For tho those that dissent from us would frequently object the Severity of the Penal Laws and the rigor with which they have sometimes been Executed as if such heavy Fines and long Imprisonments look'd but like a cold and frozen sort of Charity yet we thought it a sufficient Answer That our Church did not Countenance any of these Severities by her Doctrine And therefore how active soever some of our fiery Zealots who were the Tools of another Party might be in urging the Execution of them this was their personal Fault and nor justly imputable to the Church her self Tho by the way we cannot think it so ingenuous in some of our Clergy to throw all the blame of those severe Laws on the Parliament that Enacted them which many of themselves were but too earnest and importunate Sollicitors of But we are extreamly surprized to read the foregoing Canons and when we hear them objected as an Evidence of the Uncharitableness of our Doctrine it self We are at a great loss what to say in defence of it for we plainly perceive by them that the Practice of our most violent Bigots in the Execution of the Penal Laws has been as much more Charitable than these Canons of our Church as 't is more merciful to send the Bodies of Men into the Custody of the Jailor than to consign their Souls into the Paws of the Devil Nay 't is well that Writs de Excom Cap. have not been issued out against all whom these Canons Excommunicate For if they had the whole Race of Dissenters had long
himself against him which went so far as to procure an Inhibiâ—ion and Citation against him out of his Court. P. 97. All his Brethren forsook him even the Primate himself though the lasâ— that did so yet at length Almighty God so remarkably prosper'd the zeal of this holy Man that he was conniv'd at and held on undisturb'd iâ— personally attending his Episcopal Court God give to our Englâ—sh Bâ—â—hops the like Courage and Success Thus the Rooks give check to the King and the Lay-chancellor in the Court proves too hard for the Bishop as the Devil in the Sign of a Tavern doth for the Saint Dunstan we mean But as though this were not enough matters are yet a great deal worse For not only doth an Appeal lie to the Câ—urt of Delegates of which we shall say nothing because 't is his Majesty's But there is also the Archbishops Court of * Chamberâ—ain's Present State of England part 2. p. 33. Arches where any Ecclesiastical Suits between any Persons within the Province of Canterbury except some peculiar †Consets Practice of Eccl Courts Jurisdictions belonging to the King'â— Majesty may waving all Inferior Courts be decided The Official may take cognizance of all Ecclesiastical Causes whatsoever not only at the instance of Parties but also of his mere Office or when they are promoted as also all manner of Appeals except as before excepted from any Bâ—shops Deans and Chapters c. Arch-deacons their Officiaâ—s and Commissaries or other Ecclesiastical Judges whatsoever as also all Commissaries of the Archbishop of Canterbury whether particular or special within all or any Diocese of his Province This Court is kept in the Archbishop's name by his Official who is the Judge of it called also Dean of the Arches a perfâ—ct Lay-man usually a Knight and Doctor of Laws But he being for the most part absent substitutes a Surrogate in his place who is the Archbishop's Man's man viz. the Dean of the Deanry of the Arches And there doth this Judge Perkin sit in state Chamberlain's Pres â—â—â—te of England part 2. page 273. and according to the old Mumpsimus of the Pope's Canon-Law alone without any Assessors hears and determins all Causes without any Jury of 12 men as is necessary in Common Law-Courts and presumes to sentence not only us Lay-men but the Clergy-men also and even Bishops themselves for any Delinquency And as the Official treats our Superioâ—s in the Arches so doth the Lay-chancellor handle us and the Inferior Clergy in the Bishop's Court held in the Cathedral of his Diocese Only when any do not appear being legally cited and propounded contumacious and decreed excommunicate then the Plaintiff's Proctor offers a Schedule of Excommunication to the Judge H. Conset Pracâ—ice of the Spiritâ— C◠〈…〉 who reads it if he be in hâ—ly Orders for you must know a special care must be taken of that and if not then it is given to one who is in Holy Orders who is constituted to this purpose by the Judge Good God! saith the forementioned Author of Naked Truth 〈…〉 what a horrid abuse is this of the Divine Authority This notorious Transâ—r â—â—â—â—n is excused as they think by this that a Minister call'd the Bishop's Surrogate but is indeed the Chancellor's Servant chosen called and placed there 〈◊〉 him to be his Cryer in the Court no better when he hath examin'd heard and sâ—nt ne'd thâ— Cause then the Minister forsooth pronounces the sentence Then the Judges Seal being clapt to them away the Letters of Excommunication are posted to the Rector Vicar or Curate of the Parish with Orders to publish the same in time of Divine Service on some Sunday or Holy-day always provided these Letters of Excommunication be deliver'd to tâ—e Rector c. at least that same day on which they are to â—e read before Morning or Evening Prayers that they may be sure to have timely notice of it saith our * H. Conset Practice of Eccl. Courts p. 38. Author which they are to publish without delay unless they are willing to undergo the Fate of the Miller's Man who was hang'd for his Master for if they neglect so to do they are to be punisht by Suspension from their Office For unless at his own peril the Parish Minister must no more examine the equity and justice of the Sentence than a Hang-man dares but must do his Office though to the best liver in his Parish be the Cause what it will how unjust soever the Sentence is or how illegally soever obtain'd He must give fire when the word of Command is given though he good man know nothing of the matter yet denounce the Ecommunication he must and give the rest of the People warning that they avoid the company of such a one just as the two nimble Iron Sparks on the outside of St. Dunstan's Church when moved by the Wires within briskly turn about and give a Thump on the Bell that all may know what quarter of the hour it is 2. But to proceed from Persons to things This we suppose no sober man will deny that Excommunication being a punishment of an immediate Divine Original men should have a Divine Warrant in what cases to inflict it And being so severe a Punishment no less than cutting off from the Body of Christ and shutting out of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as the Society of Christians on Earth it should not be inflicted but for those black Crimes and deadly Sins and those obstinately persisted in too for which the Holy Jesus hath declared that men do deserve that amputation and exclusion from Heaven that so what is bound here below may be bound above And this being the Church's expulsive faculty for the casting out of noxious Humâ—rs her weapon for the cutting off rotten and scandalous Members should be used to that end only as we find in the New Testament and many Centuries after it was in the case of Heresy or detestable Enormities accompanied with Contumacy Now such Sinners swarm among us we have such crowds of Adulterers Drunkards Swearers Blasphemers c. that some of the Sons of our Church say by way of excuse for the neglect of Discipline it would not be prudent or safe to attack them How few of these do our Ecclesiastical Courts take notice of In David's time the Sparrows were allowed a place near God's Altar in our days whole herds of Swine have the same privilege and no one will or dare to drive them out But if a man trip in a Ceremony if an honest but simple Dissenter will not come to the Sacrament because though weakly yet it may be conscienciously he scruples Kneeling or will not trhough obstinacy pray the Parson his Dues or if the Governors of the State have a Political Design to carry on out comes the sacred two-edged Sword immediately and they are cut off by dozens We might refer the Reader to Dr. Pinfold as to this Point who a
them to send them to him whom the Officers of this Court deal so much with and to whom Hermolaus Barbarus was fain to resort to understand the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. We should proceed to the Things that ensue upon Excommunication And here it were easy to be very large in discoursing on the Significavit into the Court of Chancery in the Bishop's name that the Person hath stood excommunicate forty Days for the getting a Writ de Excommunicato capiendo that he may be sent to Prison Of the forfeitures of ten Pounds on every Capias afterwards for not yielding ones self up a Prisoner on the Proclamation of the Capias's It is a liberty peculiar to the Ch. of England Dr. Consin'â— Apology p. 8 9 10. saith the learned Advocate of these Courts above all the Realms in Christendom that I read of that if a Man stand wilfully forty days together Excommunicate and be accordingly certified by the Bishop into the Chancery that then he is to be committed to Prison without Bail or Main-prise quòd potestas regia Sacrosanctae Ecclesiae in suis querelis deesse non debet because the Royal Power ought not to be wanting to Holy Church in her Quarrels Yet we must confess we don't see how this can be justified unless that Axiom be own'd for truth that Dominion is founded in Grace and when a Man is made as a Publican and Heathen he loses all his Civil Rights We might further speak of the several ways of Absolution from this Sentence and that upon several little mistakes in the Form of Proceedings and by Orders sent down from Civil Courts For when a Man is fast bound one would think there are many of these ways of unloosing him as we have seen Children that by the dextrous pulling of the right String have immediately whipt off the Pack-thread from another's thumbs in a most surprizing manner Bp. Bedel's Life p. 89. We might further speak also of the commuting of Penance for Money Which as Dr. Burnet well saith is the worst sort of Simony being in effect the very same abuse that gave the World such a Scandal when it was so indecently practised in the Church of Rome and open'd the way to the Reformation For the selling of Indulgences is really but a commutation of Penance Of this that good Bp Bedel had so many and such notorious Instances in his Diocess that be bitterly bewail'd it and to which he was able to reply nothing but that he had read in Mantuan of another place in the World Rome he means where Heaven and God himself were set to sale Id. p. 90. Now from that little that hath been said we may see how truly he spoke Id. p. 93. when he said that a plain and simple thing is by these Men made very intricate And that amongst all the Impediments to the Work of God among us Id. p. 103. there is not any one greater than the Abuse of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction This is not only the Opinion of the most Godly Judicious Learned Men that I have known but the cause of it is plain Blessed Iesu who alone works great Marvels send down thy Spirit on our Bishops that they may boldly whip these Buyers ond Sellers out of thy Temple that sit there only to dishonour thy Name and spunge on thy People and turn thy House of Discipline into a Den of Thieves Amen And we beseech God to encline their Hearts and those of our Governours to do it and not to suffer these Lay-Chancellors to meddle but in Civil Causes only and there to endeavour to regulate their enormous Abuses and in the Lord Bacon's Words That in lieu of Excommunication Consid p. 21 22. there be given to them some ordinary Process with such Force and Coercion as appertaineth and that this Censure be restored to the true Dignity and Use thereof which is that it proceed not but in cases of great Weight and that it be decreed not by any Deputy or Substitute but by the Bishop in Person and not by him alone but assisted by some others of his grave Clergy according to the excellent Model of that incomparably learned and pious A B. Vsher Then will Discipline recover its ancient Vigour and Splendor then will Sinners no longer slight this Spiritual Sword in the Church as Atheists do God's fiery flaming one that sometimes appears in the Heavens as if it were a meer Meteor hanging in the Air and made of fiery Vapors only but will find 't is a solid substantial thing hath a real Point and a sharp Edg piercing into the very Depths of the Soul and that it needs not corporal Penalties to set one upon it to that end Of removing scandalous Ministers AND sure none that regard the Glory of Almighty God or the Honour of our Church or the Reputation of our Clergy themselves can ever oppose so reasonable a Motion as this for nothing has more exposed our Holy Religion to Contempt or encouraged the Laity in their Vices or sunk the Credit of our Clergy not to say of our Church it self than the scandalous Lives of some of that Function and since Examples have a more powerful Influence on the People than meer Precepts 't is no Wonder that the Lives of flagitious Clergy-men bring in more Proselytes to Wickedness and Vice than ever their preaching will make Votaries to Religion and Vertue for how should the best Advices and Counsel they can deliver from the Pulpit make any great Impression on their Hearers which they never follow themâ—elves when out of it They may long enough commend Vertue and declaim against Vice and urge what they say with Arguments drawn from the Rewards and Punishments of another World but how should the People believe them when they do â—ot live as if they believed themselves And while so many of â—ur Clergy make no great Scruple of Conscience to drink and whore and swear and game and droll on the Bible and proâ—ane the Sunday and neglect the most important Duties of their â—astoral Charge 't is no Wonder if the Laity think themselves â—â—thorized to take the same Liberty which they see used by those whom they look on not only as their Instructors but their Patâ—erns too It was a just Observation of the late E. of Rochester â—hat that one particular Vice viz. the base Arts of some Clergy-men in aspiring to the high Preferments of the Church had possess'd many of the best Quality in the Nation with that wretched Idea of Religion that greatly disposed them to Atheism For they look'd on that sacred Profession as a Holy Cheat a Trade of talking well and living ill 'T is high time then to redress this Corruption to rid our Pulpits and our Altars of such as stain them with their profane Breath and unhallowed Hands 1 Sam. 2.17 and like the wicked Sons of Eli make the very Offerings of the Lord to be abhorr'd And we
when they have not just Impediment The 46 and 47 runs thus 46 Every Beneficed Man not allow'd to be a Preacher shall procure Sermons to be preach'd in his Cure once in every Month at the least by Preachers lawfully licens'd if his Living in the Judgment of the Ordinary will be able to bear it And upon every Sunday when there shall not be a Sermon preach'd in his Cure he or his Curate shall read some one of the Homilies prescrib'd or to be prescrib'd by Authority to the Intents aforesaid 47 Every Benefic'd Man licens'd by the Laws of this Realm upon urgent occasions of other Service not to reside upon his Benefice shall cause his Cure to be supplied by a Curat that is a sufficient and licens'd Preacher if the Worth of the Benefice will bear it But whoever has two Benefices shall maintain a Preacher licens'd in the Benefice where he does not reside except he preach himself at both of them usually These Canons especially the former do so evidently expose themselves that they save us the labour of any long Remarks upon them We cannot but think it strange that a Man may be the Incumbent of a Cure and consequently enjoy both the Name and the Revenues of a Minister to that People who is not so much as licens'd to preach nay is so meer a Lay-man that according to Can. 49. he must not take on him to expound in his own Cure or elsewhere any Scripture or Matter of Doctrine and the highest Priviledg allow'd him is That he study to read plainly and aptly without glozing or adding the Homilies already set forth c. I perceive there may be Ignoramus Ministers as well as Lawyers or Jury-men and if our Church do not wrong them by the severe restraints this Canon lays on them they are more fit to be sent to School to con their Lesson than into the Pulpit to instruct the People But though we cannot admire the Wisdom of our Church in allowing such Men Benefices yet we must acknowledg her great Charity towards them and their Curats in providing so good a help as the Book of Homiliâ—s for those whose Eyes are the only considerable Talents that God almighty has thought fit to bless them withal We shall add no more under this Head but that we wish the Simoniacal Oath were strong enough to keep out all secret Arts of purchasing Preferments And we think it highly adviseable that according to Arch-Bishop Vsher's model Artic. 2d in every Rural Deanery the Ministers of particular Parishes might be censurable for Errors or gross negligence in their Office c. with Liberty of Appeals to a Diocesan Synod if need be But that the Clergy may not think us in these two Articles too severe on them and partial to our selves we shall propose it to the Wisdom of this Convocation Whether the Power of Patrons in presenting to Livings should not be so far restrain'd as not to impose a Minister on any Parish without their own consent The very Learned Bishop of Salisbury in his Regalia as well as others hath made it undeniably evident that this was the practice of the Universal Church for 600 if not 1000 Years after our Saviour's Time And therefore tho we would have so much regard paid to the Charity of our Ancestors as not to exclude Patrons from a Privilege enjoy'd on that score by so long Prescription yet we could be heartily glad that 't were rendred consistent with this Ancient Privilege of the People too that the Primitive Practice in this Particular might be reviv'd If indeed the Parson alone were to be sav'd or damn'd not only for himself but his Parishioners too 't were no great matter to the People who he be but if they must answer for their own Souls 't is but reasonable they should be satisfied whom they trust with the conduct of them And how liberally soever Patrons have endow'd any Churches 't were but a hard Bargain they make with the People to require them by implicit Faith to acquiesce in whatever Ministers they or their Heirs shall ever recommend to them Nay some would not have Patrons impose on our Clergy any more than on the People There are several secret ways of purchasing a Benefice which some Patrons oblige the Clergy to without making a down-right Bargain And we would not have so much as the courting an Abigal to be the price of it Of Reforming Manners in the People LEST the Fear and Apprehension into which the words Alteration and Review have cast the Author of Vox Clâ—ri should be fatal to him we shall now labour to recover him by assuring him that there are some of the old Canons we desire may be reinforc'd and that the Subjects to which they relate may be considered and examined viz. Such as order the Censures of the Church to be inflicted upon all Persons notoriously wicked that they may be hindred from coming to the blessed Sacrament with such Frequency and in such Numbers as they now ordinarily do particularly Can. 26. which runs thus No Minister shall in any wise admit to the receiving the Holy Communion any of his Cure or Flock which be opennly known to live in notorious Sin without Repentance nor any who have maliciously and openly contended with their Neighbours until they shall be reconciled Nor any Church-Warden or Side-man who having taken their Oaths to present to their Ordinary all such publick Offences as they are particularly charg'd to enquire of in their several Parishes shall notwithstanding their said Oaths and that their faithful Discharge of them is the chief means whereby publick Sins and Offences may be reform'd and punish'd wittingly and willingly desperately and irreligiously incur the horrible Crime of Perjury either in neglecting or in refusing to present such of the said Enormities and publick Offences as they knew themselves to be committed in their said Parishes or are notoriously offensive to the Congregation there although they be urg'd by some of their Neighbours or the Minister or by their Ordinary himself to discharge their Consciences by presenting them and not to incur so desperately the said horrible Sin of Perjury We do now humbly request that according to this Canon some effectual Provision may be made to hinder all such wicked Persons from our Communion which are a Scandal and Reproach to any Church much more to ours That the Matter may be seriously debated and weighed and whether more proper Methods than those hitherto resolv'd on may not be found out and settled For to speak on the behalf of the Laity as the imposing such a Task on us or the Church-Wardens is very hard and severe so it hath been unsuccessful to the Purpose for which it was intended and is likely always to prove so though the Canon says that the Church-Wardens and Sidesmens faithful Discharge of their Oaths in presenting Offenders to the Ordinary is the chief means whereby Publick Sins and Offences may be reform'd
and punished For it cannot be probably expected that they should discharge this Office with that Fidelity and Care which is requisite in a Business of such Importance If we consider either the manner of their present choice the Multiplicity of secular Affairs in which they are unavoidably ingag'd the Temptations to which they may be exposed either by Neighbourhood Acquaintance Friendship or Dependance upon others and not to mention the small Reverence which is paid to Oaths by the Generality of Persons in this dissolute Age which ought to be considered nor the Tricks of waving the taking them which the Corruption of our Spiritual Courts hath supplied us with it cannot be imagin'd but that while Men are called to this Office by turns and the worst as well as the best Parishioners are chosen to it and while Men are govern'd by their worldly Interest either no Presentations at all should be made or those that are should be Omnia Bâ—ne Besides should these Lay-Officers be Persons of Sobriety and Integrity and out of Regard to their Oaths the Peace of their own Consciences and the good Comfort of their Christian Neighbours make exact and just Presentations yet according to our present Constitution they are bound to carry them into the Spiritual Courts and what becomes of them when they are lodg'd there all the World knows instead of imposing suitable Penances Money shall be extorted by a Body of Men who have already shew'd us that they can set Indulgences to sale and that they are willing Men should ruin their own Souls and go very quietly to Hell provided they will pay them tole for their Passage We are therefore of the opinion that the present Convocation should consider whether the Inspection into the Manners of the People should not be intrusted solely with the Ministers and Priests and this determin'd and judg'd to be one part of the pastoral Care whether it be not now absolutely necessary to authorize and impower all Ministers and Curates to observe the Lives of their Parishioners to admonish them privately and publickly to pronounce the Censures of the Church either of Suspension or Excommunication according to their several Lives and Offences they may be appointed to do all this in Subordination to the Bishop or the Ordinary though we think 't is requisite theâ— should be exempted from the Jurisdiction of the Spiritual Courts they may â—e still a 〈…〉 to the Bishop and be obliged to acquaint him with the Reasons and manner of their Proceedings and be liable to be punish'd by him if they either mis-behâ—ve themselves or neglect their Duty Let this Authority and Power be 〈◊〉 sted in them in such a Subordination and let it be declared and esteem'd as an essâ—ntial Branch of the Pastoral Office and in our Apprehensions it will be a more effectual way to redress this Disorder than the other That which suggests and incourages this Proposal is our Communion-Rubrick which requires all Persons that intend to communicate to send in their Names to the Curate and orders him to admonish those that are unfit that they should not presume to come Now if this were duly observed and the Curates likewise impowered to reject such as shall notwithstanding their Admonition dare to present themselves and to pronounce either a Sentence of Suspension or Excommunication against them we conceive that this will be a more proper and effectual Method to preserve our Communions pure than that other of committing it to the Church-Wardens who are too often careless and unconcern'd about a matter of such a Spiritual Nature or such as deserve to fall under the Censures of the Church themselves It will be no hard Matter for the Convocation to fix and settle this Authority and Power that the Curates should be invested with its just Bounds and Limits This we propose with all Humility to Persons that by their Sagacity and Wisdom may soon find out better Ways than we are able to do But that which we earnestly and importunately request is that since his Majesty hath put an Opportunity into their Hands of reviewing the old Canons and making new that they would resolve upon some course for the preventing Men of the most profligate Lives and Principles from joyning themselves to our Communion and partaking of the most Holy Sacrament and we hope the Author of Vox Cleri and others of the same stamp will not charge us with a Design of pulling down the House since we only demand that these Spiders which have filled every Corner of it with their Cobwebs and Venome may be swept out and are willing thâ—t the Besom with which it is to be done should be put into the Hands of our Priests and Clergy The Reasons of our Request are such as these 1. Because according to the Doctrine of our Church these Persons have no Right at all to partake of the Sacrament and to celebrate these Holy Mysteries Râ—briâ—k 〈…〉 for she appoints the Curate to advertise and admoâ—ish such as these tâ—â—t in any wâ—sâ— thâ—y presumâ— not to come In her Exhortation she tells us that it is to be admiâ—isâ—râ—â— only to those who are devoutly and religiously disposed and that if any who do not repent of their Sins and live in them without Amendment do come the Communion does nothing else but increase their Damnatiâ—â— And we are told that Persâ—â—â— thâ—â— live in Variance and Contention or in any known Sin Q. Elizab. 〈…〉 must not be admitâ—â—d â—â—â—â—use t is contrary to the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ So that thâ—se ' Men are really Intruderâ— and thrust themselves as Guests to our most â—oly Tables contrary to the express Commands of the Church and when we desire that they may be cast out 't is no way injurious or prejudicial to them but tends to their Benefit and Advantage 't is â—s charitable and just as to snatch a Cup of Poison out of the Hands of a Mad man who is boldly going to drink it 2. The admitting such Persons to the Sacrament is a very high Incouragement to the Debauchery and Wickedness that now reigns among us when these shall have as free an Access to this Holy Table as Persons of the highest Sobriety and Vertue when they shall shelter themselves under our very Altars and none have any Power or Commission to pluck them from thence what can be expected but that Impiety and Profaness should overflow us as a mighty Stream They have already learned to stop the Mouths of their own Consciences and our Mouths too when we offer to rebuke them by saying that they are good Christians and Members of the Church as well as we they perswade themselves that their being of our Church here doth give them an undoubted Title to a Place among the Assembly of the First-born and while they have such Apprehensions as these we must expect they should indulge themselves in all manner of Immoralities and now shall the Holy
Sacrament be prostituted to countenance and incourage such fatal Presumptions as these to strengthen the Hands of the Vile and cause them to commit Sin with all imaginable Boldness and without any Remorse Shall we turn the Cup of the Blood of Christ into the Cup of Devils as the Apostle expresses it in 1 Cor. 10.21 not only by permitting those who offer up themselves as Sacrifices to the Devil to drink of it but by making it as effectual to the promoting the Interest of Satan as though he himself had really instituted it 3. Because such a Practice as this tends to the increasing the Numbers of the Dissenting Conventicles For though they are not without faulty Members as well as we yet it must be confess'd that they are very careful to keep or purge out all that are openly scandalous in their Lives We indeed excel them in our Episcopal Government the Decency and Order of our Worship in the Numbers of sober and learned Clergy but in this particular we are more defective than they there is not so much of this unhappy Leaven among them as there is among us so that many Persons of strict Piety who are burden'd and griev'd with this Disorder will be tempted to desert us and join with them and they being not acquainted with the Distinctions of learned Men will be more easily led into such an Error and if a speedy Reformation be not made in this Matter we must expect the Numbers of those who are the greatest Ornaments of our Communion out of a pretended Concern for their Edification will leave us For 4. We must now ackowledg and declare that the Admission of such as these very much hinders our Edification and makes us take the Holy Sacrament with much less Joy and Comfort than wee might otherwise do As we belong to a Church that not only recommends the most inlarged Charity but is celebrated for it so we hope we are not without some Measures of that Love to God and the Souls of Men which she requires in all her Communicants and being influenc'd by this we cannot with unconcern'd Eyes and Hearts behold these Men at once profane the Name of God and eat and drink Damnation to themselves i. e. as our Church explains it Diseases Death and the Wine of God's Wrath. Exhort bef the Commun 'T is with a great and sincere Sorrow that we observe Persons guilty of the highest Impurities allowed to come to the Holy Communion who ought to be driven from it Our Peace and Benefit would be much greater in our Approaches to it if we did not find there some who but a few Hours before were venturing their Lives in the Quarrel of a Strumpet others who spent the last Night in Revelling and Drunkenness and when they joyn themselves to us seem to take us for a Crew of merry Companions others that just before the Communion were belching out Oaths and Curses and soon after the end of it will pour out whole Vollies of them again c. And if there were none allowed to kneel there but such as were sober and vertuous devoutly and religiously disposed We must therefore be excused if after so long a silence we take the liberty to express our Resentments in this Matter and to declare that we do with a very passionate Grief see the Holy Bread and Wine touch'd by such polluted Hands and unhallowed Mouths especially when we sear and expect that after the taking of these according to the Threatning denounced by our Church The Devil should enter into them as he did into Judas to fill them full of all Iniquities and bring them to destruction both of Body and Soul Exhort before the Communion And we would add that while we have a warm and zealous regard to the Honour of God Almighty and his Sacraments and the Good of others we shall have the same sense and apprehensions But to conclude this Subject that our present Convocation may be stirred up to a more vigorous Zeal and Diligence in the framing new Penitentiary Canons or reforming the Old we would with all modesty and submission remind our Fathers and Guides now assembled of the Promises they made at their several Ordinations and of the solemn Charge they received from our Church which is in these words Wherefore consider with your selves the End of your Ministry towards the Children of God towards the Spouse and Body of Christ Form of ordering of Priests Sparrow p. 125. and see that you never cease your Labour your Care and Diligence until you have done all that lieth in you according to your bounden Duty to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your Charge unto that agreement in Faith and Knowledg of God and to that ripeness and perfectness of Age in Christ that there be no place left among you either of Error in Religion or for viciousness of Life And since we shall not entertain a suspicion of their readiness to discharge their Offices with the utmost fidelity of their willingness to pay a chearful Obedience to the Commands of our common Mother we will not question their gratifying our Desires in this Particular Of the Examination of such Persons as desire to be admitted into Holy Orders both as to their Learning and Manners 'T Is the unhappy neglect of this has not only over-stock'd our Church with a shoal of supernumerary Clergy but given too many the opportunity of crouding into Holy Orders whom their Parents only thrust on the Service of the Church because they know not how to dispose otherwise of them And yet it must be own'd that the Canons of our Church are not altogether chargeable with this Neglect For the 35th Canon enjoins the Bishop before he admits any Person into Holy Orders to examine him in the presence of those Ministers that shall assist him in the Imposition of Hands or at least take care that the foresaid Ministers examine him if he have any lawful Impediment We could heartily wish the Bishop might accordingly do it more constantly himself in the presence of such as assist at the Ordination and not leave it so generally to the Arch-Deacon or one of his Chaplains And 't were highly adviseable that the particular Trials which every Candidate for Sacred Orders must pass in order to give a good Specimen of his Proficiency in Humane Learning and especially in the study of Divinity were prescrib'd For it can by no means be thought a sufficient Evidence of a Man's being qualified for that Sacred Function that he can construe a piece of the Latin Testament and resolve that grand Question of Quot sunt Symbola c. The admirable care of many Foreign Churches particularly the Reformed Churches in France about the admission of their Proposants is a very commendable Pattern And even in this Point the Directory how idle a Book soever it may be in other things has the advantage of any thing prescrib'd in this Canon
which is too là x and general And we would surther offer it to consideration Whether what the 34th Canon enjoins in the Case of a Bishop's ordaining a Man that is not of his own Diocess should not hold also in his ordaining those that are viz. That he ordain no Person but such as shall exhibit Letters Tesâ—imâ—nial of his good Life and Conversation under the Seal of some Colledg in Cambridg or Oxford where before he remain'd or of three or four grave Ministers togetheâ— with the Subscription and Testimony of other credible Persons who have known his Life and Behaviour by the sâ—â—câ— of three â—ears next before The CONCLVSION HAving thus pasâ—'d thro' the several Heads mention'd in his Majesties Commission and witâ— the sâ—me â—â—sign viz. for the advancing the Honour and Service of Almighty God for the Good and Quiet of the Church and for the better government of it we do not doubt but the Proposals we have made if attended to by the Convocatiâ—â— will have such an Issue And we hope we shall not be censur'd for invading the Priest's Office in what we have done A Man needs not the indelible Character to do the Offiâ—e of a Sexton sweep the Dust and Filth out of the Church and lash T bit's Dog out of the Sanctuary and that is what we have design'd And if in so doing we have chanced here and there to give somâ— late Authors a lick or two they are only such as have officiously sheltred him under their Legs For tho we will allow him to be as good a Moral Cur as his late zealous Apologist can desire and to have lâ—arned the 5th Commandment for saith he * Remarks on the two Letters to the Convocation p. 12. he was faithful and loved his Master yet we would not have the Fanaticks think he is a Member of our Church or that our Congregations are so thin even on a Week-day when says he he only appears there that we should need his Company to encrease them We have in our own Apprehensions consulted the Honour and Service of Almighty God since what we desire tends to the more pure and orderly celebrating of his Worship to the removal of those abuses which are as provoking to him as they are displeasing to us and may incline him who hath hitherto by many Miraâ—les of Mercy and Power defended and preserv'd us to give us yet more signal testimonies of his Favor and Bounty And that we have aim'd at the Good and Quiet of the Church is likewise as evident since what we propose will render her Offices less liable to the Exceptions of our Adversaries and more profitable to us will increase her Purity and Splendor will add to the number of her sober and pious Members will make her Government more conformable to the Primitive Pattern and establish it on more lasting and solid Foundations and free her Children from many of the pressing Grievances they groan under And therefore we hope that so favourable an Opportunity which his Majesty presents the Convocation with will not be neglected a Prince who by his great Vertues is the Glory of our Church as well as the Head anâ— Defender of it and whose excellent Wisdom and Judgment should be alone a suffiâ—ient Argument to weigh with us tho there were no other as there are many more to induce us to make our Reformation more perfect and compleat To sum up â—ll If his Majesties Desires and ours be now comply'd with the Church of England may stand and flourish as the Envy and Glory of all the Reformed Churches impregnable to the feeble Attacks of her Enemies and be adorn'd with a very great Purity and Brightness but if they be scorn'd and deny'd we may justly expect to fall under an indelible Infamy and Reproach to have our Strength anâ— Numbers lâ—ssen'd and abated to be crush'd by the Artifices and Designs of our strong and numerous Adversaries and to have our Church and all the Abusâ—s which remain in her taken away together by some Revolution that we looâ—ed not for FINIS