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
ENGLANDS COMPLAINT TO IESVS CHRIST AGAINST THE BISHOPS CANONS OF THE LATE SINFULL SYNOD A SEDITIOUS CONVENTICLE A PACKE OF HYpocriâ—ts a Sworne Confederacy a Traiterous Conspiracy against the true Religion of Christ and the Weale Publicke of the Land and consequently against the Kingdome and Crowne In this Complaint are Specified those impieties and insolencies which are most notorious Scaâ—tered through the Canons and Constitutions of the said Sinfull Synod And confuted by Arguments annexed hereunto Psal. 94. 20 21 c. O Lord shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee which frameth mischiefe by a Law They gather themselves together against the Soule of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood Esa. 3. 12 13. O my people they which lead thee cause thee to erre and destroy the way of thy paths The Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge the people Ezech. 22. 24 25 c. Thus saith the Lord Thou art the Land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation There is a Conspiracie of her Prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring Lion ravening the prâ—y they have devoured Soules Her Priests have violated my Law they have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths Her Princes in the midst thereof are like Wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and to destroy Soules to get dishonest gaine c. Printed Anno Dom. 1640. ENGLANDS COMPLAINT TO IESVS CHRIST AGAINST THE BISHOPS CANONS OTHE hope of * Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why shouldest thou be as a Stranger in the Land and as a way-faring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied as a mighty man that cannot Save Yet thou ô Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy Name leave us not Yea ‡ ô Lord though our iniquities testifie against us yet doe thou it for thy Names sake for our backeslidings are many we have sinned against thee And ‡ we know not what to doe but our eyes are towards thee § O look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holines and of thy glory where is thy zeale and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me Are they restrained Doubtlesse thou art our Father thou ô Lord art our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting †O Lord our God other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but by thee only will we make mention of thy Name And now ô Lord we thy People inhabitants of this sinfull Land out of the depth of our miseries and from under the burthen of our manifold afflictions and oppressions which we worthily suffer for our iniquities from thy righteous handâ— for Thou hast * tryed us and melted us in the Fornace even as silver Thou hast brought us into the net Thou hast layd affliction upon our loynes Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads So as to whom shall we goe for * healing but to thee who hast smitten us to whom for binding up but to thee who hast broken and torne us we doe therfore in this our humbled estate present our complaint before thee the ‡ Iudge of all the world yea before Thee who hast a ‡ feeling of our infirmities having been in all things tempted like as we are yet without sinne to that end that we might come boldly to the throne of Grace and obtaine mercy and find grace to helpe in time of need And although we thy People have had of long time and still have much matter of complaint unto thy Righteous Throne yet now above all other when the Throne of Iniquity frameth mischiefe as by a Law For a Synod hath been by Authority of late holden wherein such things have been concluded and confirmed as tend to the utter rooting out of all true Religion and that under the vaile of deep hypocrisie double iniquity And now ô Lord give thy People leave even to spread this whole Synod before thee as once King Ezechâ—â—â— spread the blasphemous letter of the Enemy before the Lâ—rd And forasmuch as the said Synod hath been both called authorized and confirmed in all the Canons and Constitutions therof by the King as himselfe declareth by his own Act both before and after the said Canons wherein he professeth himselfe to be thy Deputy ô King of Kings and Lord of Lords we therfore think it our duty first to purge our selves of that staine of disloyalty and disobedience which the King chargeth us withall For they lay it to the charge of some of us at the least that we suspect our King of being perverted in a Superstitious way of Gods worship as if he intended to bring in some alteration of Religion in our Land against his sundry publicke Declartions and Sacred professions before Him whose Deputy saith he we are against all and every intention of any Popish Innovation Now for our parts we doe appeale to thy righteous judgement O searcher of all hearts whether we have been apt causelessely to suspect or surmise the least evill of our King but on the contrary have been ready to interpret all his actions in such a sense as perswading our selvs whatever things were amisse in Church or Common-weale or whatever Innovations brought in yea although under the name of Royall Authority yet the King was ignorant of them and his name therin abused by some bad Officers about him Yea how unwilling are we to this very day notwithstanding the late Synod so called and confirmed by the King to conceive the least sinister thought of him So as we are apt to thinke that those Innovations brought in since and under his Raigne have either crept in by stealth and by degrees without his knowledge or been craftily suggested as being no Innovations at all but rather renovations of the decayes of the old Religion so â—ulgarly called being induced thereunto by the ancient use thereof retained in some places of the Land since the Reformation as especially in the Roâ—all Chappels and Cathedralls though not confirmed by any Law as the use of Altars Images and the like But now when we see with open eyes to our hearts grief those things to be concluded as by a Law Canons of Prelats now being made binding Laws and so confirmed by the Letterâ— Patents of the King for him his Heires and lawfull Successors O Lord what shall we think Nay when we see a strict Oath injoyned and imposed upon all Ministers of what style or ranke soever and upon all graduates in the Universities c. to approve and preserve the Doctrine and Discipline or Government as it stands now established in the Church of England and knowing that by publick Acts Edicts Decrâ—es Declarations Books c. set forth and published in the Kings Name and patronized by his speciall Authority Royall the Sanctification of thy Christian Sabbaths the Morality of thy holy Commandements
cast out all or most of those godly and painfull Minoâ—â—ers of thy word which were as so 〈◊〉 lights and pillars in the house of our God because they stood in the gappe and in the way of these men to hinder their wicked attempts in overthrowing of all true Religoon and if any good Ministers be yet left that have escaped their fingers here is a hellish plot will hurle them all out at a clappe these with many other their Innâ— vations they having now brought to passe now now would they have all men to be secure against any revolt to Popery Now they declare their constancie and Sincerity in the Doctrine and Discipline established And hereupon they proceed to their Synodicall Decree saying This present Synod decrees that all Archbishops and Bishops and all other Priests and Deacons in places exempt or not exempt shall take an 〈◊〉 against all Innâ—vations of Doctrine or Discipline And the 〈◊〉 I A. B. doe sweare that I doe approve the Doctrine and Discipline or Government established in the Church of England as containing all things necessary to Salvation And that I will not indeavour by my selfe or any other directly or indirectly to bring in mâ— Popish Doctrine contrary to that which is so established Nor will I ever give my assent to alter the Government of this Church by Archbishops Bishops Deanes and Archdeacons c. as it stands now established and as by right it ought to stand nor yet ever to Subject it to the usurpation and Superstitions of the Sea of Rome c. And if any shall refuse to take this Oath after the first moneth he shal be suspended from his Ministry after the second moneth from his Ministry and Benefice and after the third moneth deprived of all his Ecclesiasticall promotions whatsoever and execution of his function which he holds in the Church of England And so this Oath extends to all Graduates in Divinity Masters of Graduates or licensed practitioners in Law and Physicke all Registers Actuaries Proctors Schoolmasters all that enter into the Ministry or into a Benefice c. Thus Lord it is not suffiâ—â—â— for these men to alter both the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England as aforesaid and to make the Discipline and Government of Prelates more Antichristian then it was before by adding a new claime of Divine Authority to their Antichristian Iurisaâ—ction blasphemoully fatheriâ—g it upon thee but they must have all this Sealed with an Oath of all such Persons as aforesaid that so by so many conduâ—â— pipes the whole Land may be poysoned and at once universally enthralled under a most miserable bondage And now subscription which were too much and against all Law and Conscience is not sufficient For all Ministers and others of any degree forementioned must sweare to the ratifying of the 〈◊〉 of the Articles of Religion as aforesaid to the setting up and bowing to Altars with all the other Ceremonies and Innovations about them to the maintaining of an Anti christian Tyranny exercised by the Prelates under the name of Christ and his Apostles and so in Summe they must become Sworne vassals to these Tyrants and Sworne Enemies to thy Majesty and Kingly Soveraignty to thy word and Scepter to their owne Salvation and the Salvation of thy people and so proclaime themselves to all the world the most base and vile Slaves that ever the earth bred Yea the most of them such especially as know anything and this time of light admits of no plea for ignorance in any man must of necessity if at all they take this Oath Sweare against their own Consciences and so in no small degree sin against the Holy Ghost whereby their Sin becomes unpardonable when once their Conscience is â—eared to impenitencie and their selfe-damnation sealed up to destruction Besides all this if they looke upon temporall respects are they sure the King of this Land will be alwayes of the mind to maintain and continue such an Hierarchie What if God should be pleased in mercy to hiâ—Church to open the eyes of the King to let him see now he and his State is abused by this Generation of Prelates so as to â—â—ot them out Againe though the Office oâ—Kings be â—â—mortall yet their persons are not another King may succeed that is of another mâ—â—d And above all this we beleeve ô Lord that the intolerable outrages and high flown presumptions of these Prelates against thee and thy Church and against the whole State of the Land are most certaine cleare and immediate forerunners of their most fearefull ruine And therefore let thy feare ô Lord be upon all thy Ministers and People of the Land at this time and let thy grace be sufficient for them to arme them with a holy courage zeale magnanimity undaunted constant resâ—â—tion to stand out in a Christian defiance against this most damnable and desperate Oath least the taking of it bring certaine wrath upon the takers as the making and imposing of it shall certainly bring upon the makers and imposers of it to their utter destruction But alas ô Lord have not these Prelates already made way for an unwerâ—all admittance of this their Cursed Oath For where is fearce one good Minister left of a true bred masculine Spirit whom these men have not rid out of the way And those that be left are they not for the most part such as either preferre the fleshpots of Aegypt before Canaan Or such as have already deâ—â—led their Consciences with abâ—sing their Ministry to the publick obeying of wicked Commands of these their great Masters as in the publick reading the Booke of profane Sports on the Lords day forbearing to preach in the Afternoones admitting of Altars in their Churches and perhaps bowing unto them not 〈◊〉 to preach freely the Doctrines of Grace to the strengthening of the faith of Gods people and inflaming their love towards God as the 17th Article saith and to the confounding of the enemies of Grace and that cursed Faction that now raigneth So as Ministers having universally defiled their Consciences and abased their Ministry in these things for such as refused are already cast out are already prepared and sitted to doe any other baseâ— service that these their Masters shall command their Conscience being by this time made wide enough to swallow downe this monstrous and damnable Oath which could not possibly have been forged in any other Shop but in hell it selfe not by any other workmen but by Devils themselves in the likenesse of men But ô Lord thou who * onely art able to keep 〈◊〉 thine from saking and to â—â—reserve them faultlesse before the presence of thy glory with joy who * wilt keep him in perfect peace whose â—â—nd is stayd on thee because he trusteth in thee if thou hast a remnant left which have not received the marke of the Beast but have kept their garments pure or if any who through feare or humane frailty have abased themselves
roome to place the Table in the midst Although this was to be imputed rather to want of Care in the Deane of the Chappel then want of roome in the Chappel as in many other things besides And as for Cathedraâ— Churches most of them had the Tables standing in the midst of the Chancel untill of very late dayes and under this Kings Rugne wherein our Prelates have been more stickâ—ing then ordinary to erect not only Altars but Crucifixes and Images in all Cathedralls And now their project plainly appeares to be this that by these Mother Churches as they call them they might introduce Altars into all other Churches to verifie the Proverbe Like Mother like Daughter And whereas they name â—ome Parochiall Churches to have had Altars this hath been but of late dayes too since this fashion began to be renewed But when they have Summ'd up all together it will not amount to the acquitting this Generation from illegality or from more then suspicion and that â—ust both of Romish Superstition and â—dolatry to booâ— as also of a great Innovation of the State of the Church both in Doctrine and Discipline For first for the Royall Chappel what are they to an universality If the King should have Misse in his Chappell must therefore every Church in the Land have so too And so for Cathedralls what are they buâ— as iâ— were the Chappels or Chancels of the Bishop Dâ—ane and Chapter Parish-Churches they are noâ— no nor yet Mother-Churches as whereof other Churches are begotten but are 〈◊〉 the very dennes of the Dragon and the Styes to fa◠〈◊〉 beâ—â—â—â—â— for the slaughter And because some Parâ—â—hiaâ— Churcheâ—â— by some Ministers of the Bishops Faction have lately 〈◊〉 Altars is this sufficient to acquit them of â—â—â—egalifyâ— of 〈◊〉 of Râ—mish Superstition and Idolatry in making hereupon a Canon for the sitting up of Altars in all the Churches of England Dare these 〈◊〉 bring this their mettall to be tryed in a Parliament-Tesâ— where they should find Refiners of suffiâ—â—â— judgement to sever the 〈◊〉 silver if there were any from the drâ—sse But when they have seâ— up their Tables Sidewayes to the Eastiâ—â—ll shall they stand there fixed Shall they not be moveables still as in Queen Elizabeths time and according to her Injunction at least be â—â—t in the midst of the Church or Chancel aâ— the Commâ—â—â— For this they tell us We judge it fit and convenient that all Churches and Chappels do conforme themselves in thâ—â— particular to the example of the Cathâ—drall or Mother Churches saving alwayes the generall liberty lest the Bishop by Law during the time of the Administration of the holy Communion A plausible Perswasion of these Hypâ—â—â—es They thinke it fit therefore who will not thinke it so They heartily commend it and what is this but a Command * A 〈◊〉 necessaâ— But thy holy Apostle ô Lord in the same ‡ Chapter where he speakes against Rites and Ceremonies wâ—â—nes thy people to take heed that they beâ—â—â— oncunâ—vented pâ—â—â—anolegia with â—â—ticeing words or faire speeches And what fugared words be here in 〈◊〉 Canon to merce thy People to 〈◊〉 Idolatroâ—â— and Superstitious Rites and Ceremonies here commended For what be these Rites and Ceremonies namely as the seting up of a 〈◊〉 high Altar so adoration thereunto This is that which these Hypocrites thinke and commend for very fit and behoofull pretending therein Service done to thy Majestie when it is indeed a Service that pleases them and which to thy dishonour and against thy will and word they will force upon thee As the Heathen man sayd of the false Gods in his time ‡ spara gnomen aâ— nagkazethai theous tais anthropinais Boulais doulâ—uein that the Gods against their mind were constrained to serve mens wills namely in mans devised will-worship And thus doe these imitators of the blind Heathen force thee to serve their 〈◊〉 while they set up a service of their owne fancie as both in seting up Altars and commending worship to them though pretended as done to thee Even as the false Oracles of old § Ten apsukon hulen â—ebem prosetation commanded men to worship a piece of wood or such like matter wherein was no life But these lying Oracles these Hypocrites pretend such worship is to honour thee withall O bold impiety O notorious hypocrisie These are the Men that trample thy word under their feet that cast it out of the Church that stoppe thy Ministers mouthes and consequently thy peoples Eares that they cannot heare thy lively voyce speaking unto them to the Saving of their poore soules and instead hereof they give unto them a flappe with a Fox-tayle for instead of honouring thee in thine own Sacred and Saving Ordinance they commend to thy People these Superstitious and Idolatrous Services as the fruits of their proâ—d and profane Popish hearts which they commend as most fit and behoâ—full Now * wilt thou not judge them ô Lord Wilt thou not judge them Cause them to know their abominations and give them the reward of selfe-pleasure Now we know that all Cathedrall or those Mother Churches have their Altars fixed and never removed no not in time of Communion by this Law of Conformity therefore all Parechiall Churches must have their Tables fixed and never to be removed no not at the Communion And so being fixed they cease now to be any longer Tables but put on the nature of Altars which stand perpetually fixd Onely here is one helpe peradventure for it if the Bishop be pleased to give liberty to Parishes to remove the Table into the midst â—â—r the Communion this liberty alwayes Saved So as here is all the hope of Parishes in this matter Yet what hope when the Bishop shall answere such Suiters Ye are a sort of Puritans will you be wiser then your Mother-Church or wiser then the Sacred and holy Synod who judged it fit and convenient that all Churches and Chappels doe conforme themselves in this particular to the example of the Cathedrall or Mother Churches And though the Law give him a generall Liberty in this to grant it or no yet he holds himselfe rather bound by the Canon in this case not to give liberty then dispensed to take and use liberty by the Law But yet for all this the Synod gives one remedy as to thinke never a whit the worse of the Table or to be out of conceit with it because being thus fixed it seems to be quite turned from a Table into an Altar for it addeth And we declare that this Situation of the Holy Table doth not imply that it is or ought to be esteemed a true and proper Altar whereon Christ is againe really Sacrificed but it is and may be called an Altar by us in that sense in which the Primitive Church called it an Altar and in no other A Holy Table doe these holy men call it but shall we thinke it ever a whit the holyer that it stands