comes vnto as the State of a King may be supported not a little therewith QVAERE Whether the true Officers of the Church need so much to beare vp their traine Whether Christ be better served by them or followed of them Whether their studies are more bent to advance the Churches Spirituall good Whether are they more sequestred to the wayes of God to attend Gods service the reformation of ill mens lives the setting forward those that are good in the pathes of grace Whether doe they take the more time to apply themselves to fasting to praying to preaching and doing workes of piety and workes of charity Whether doe they not rather intrude into secular affaires and into State businesses to the disgrace of the Nobles and Gentrie of the Land and the peace thereof Whether are they more bold against sinne to suppresse it in all sorts or are they not thereby the more Lordly minded to beare vp themselves and to crush all them that justly finde fault with what is amisse in them Whether are they not hereby higher from controle and lesse subject to any censure both they and such as depend upon them Whether may not the King pare them as well as did blessed Queene Elizabeth some of them in her dayes or as King Henry did the Lord Abbots and Lord Priers with all their superfluous meanes For those were of men and so are these and not of God The humble Petition THat they be made to change their Palaces for Personage Houses there to keepe Hospitality and to feed the people with the word of life That their Baronries be taken from them and so the Lordly title and not be suffred to sit any more in Parliament as Lords there That their thousands be reduced to some hundreds and so their Officers and retinue made fewer What need a true Pastour be so pompeous and Lordly great to doe his Office for Christ in preaching and in other Spirituall duties SECTION IV. Of the prelaticall Rule and Government Their rule is partly after the Canon Law yet in force and partly after their owne framed Canons and Articles and not according to Gods Word The manner of their ruling is Lordly and alone in their inferiour Courts and in the high commission Court their power is vnlimitted citing examining swearing judgeing fining and imprisoning as they please one of the most insufferable evils in this Kingdome The ends which they doe ayme at are I. To keepe vp their owne greatnesse even by exacting Oathes for it as the Oath of the canonicall obedience and the late Oath in the new canons II. To hold others in subjection vnder them as they like best by citing to their Courts by hasty suspensions by rash and very abusive excommunications c. III. To enrich themselves gathering much money by all these meanes I. By ordained Deacons and Ministers for money 4 times a yeare by which they put vp yearely hundreds of pounds II. By instituting and inducting persons and Vicars when benifices doe fall and so scrape together much out of 9285 Livings three pounds for every one viis modis which in times come to many thousands III By making Rurall Deanes yearely where they be in every Deanry And for the Oath taken some pay 8. s. 6. d. or a Noble but no benefit to the Deane at all but to execute Bishops Mandats IV. By granting Lycenses which ought to be free 1 To beneficed men to preach in their owne Cures though at their ordination they give them authority to preach yet may they not afterwards without 10. s. for every Lycense Looke then how many lycensed Preachers there be whether they preach or no so many 10s is paid suppose there be in 9285 Parishes but sixe thousand of them the summe commeth to three thousand pounds Thus they pay money to have leave to discharge their highest duty of their Office 2 To Curates who must pay for a Lycense to read prayers in some place for a Lycense to preach for a Lycense to keepe Schoole vndoing poore beginners before they get any thing 3 To Clarkes of a Parish to be Clarkes 4 To Physitians to practise Physicke 5 To Midwives to doe their Office for they have skill in all trades and professions to gaine money 6 To parties which are to be married without banes asking and in times prohibited and both for money allowed yet against Law V. By absolving after a rash suspension after a prophane Excommunication and both for money VI By aggravations for money VII By putting men to cleere themselves by oath with their Compurgatours for money VIII By imposing Penance which the richer may commute for money but the miserable poore doing their penance cannot bee freed from their Courts without money though they begge for it but must stand Excommunicated and so bee shut out of the Church and given over to the Devill for non-payment of money IX By willingly receiving any secret information true or false to call any before them putting them to the oath Ex officio to catch them and make them pay money X. By interdicting of Churches and whole Congregations XI By framing very many Articles forcing Church-wardens to present vpon oath that they may get money XII By probates of Wills and by granting Letters of Administrations XIII By sutes about Tithes and long delaying thereof much money is spent of others but gotten by them And thus a masse of money is scraped together of them to the great vexation of his Majesties Subjects especially of the meaner sort QVAERE Whether such a rule and authority by such Canons in such a manner and for such ends can be approved of God or any longer suffered of men Whether this bee not to make money of Gods holy ordinances and to gaine by sinne what hope of a blessing can there bee by such a base kinde of Ecclesiasticall pecuniarie governing Whether it bee not fit and just to squeise such Spunges and ravenous harpies by finding out their illegall courses and punishing them The humble Petition THat they may not rule by the Cannon Law which yet is in force so farre as it toucheth not the Kings Supremacy nor by their owne devised Canons but by Gods word and by such Canons as agree with the word and are made with the full consent of the Convocation and confirmed by act of Parliament That in ruling they Lord it not alone but that they sit with learned godly and grave Assistants keeping within the bounds of the Lawes doing neither contrary to nor besides them nor yet dispense with any as they doe for marrying without banes asking and in times prohibited That they keepe not their Courts in their owne names nor send out processe summons Citations nor proceed to censure in their owne Names or Stile nor vse onely their owne Seale of Office and Armes as they doe thereby denying their power to be derived from the King this is an vnsufferable vsurpation That they be made to acknowledge their authority not
A SHORT VIEVV of the Praelaticall Church of ENGLAND Wherein is set forth the horrible abuses in Discipline and Government layd open in tenne SECTIONS by way of Quare and Petition the severall heads whereof are set downe in the next Page Whereunto is added a short draught of Church-government EZEK. 34. 3 4 10. Woe bee to the Shepheards of Israell that feed themselves Yee eate the Fat and cloath you with the Wooll yee kill them that are fed but yee feed not the flocke but with force and with cruelty have yee ruled them Behold I am against the Shepheards and I will require my flocke at their hands and cause them to cease from feeding the flocke neither shall they feed themselves any more Printed in the yeare MDCXLI SECTION I. OF the title of the Church and why it is called Prelaticall SECTION II. Of the principall persons in this Prelaticall Church and their Dependents SECTION III. Of the meanes to support their Prelaticall greatnesse SECTION IV. Of the Prelaticall rule and government and the ends they aime at SECTION V. Of the Prelaticall visitations SECTION VI Of the Prelaticall Churches and the dependents on them SECTION VII Of the Prelaticall Service SECTION VIII Of the Prelaticall Ministerie SECTION IX Of the Prelaticall Convocation SECTION X. Of the great and manifold evils of these Prelaticall governments A SHORT VIEVV OF THE Prelaticall Church of ENGLAND SECTION I. Of the title Church and why it 's called Prelaticall THe Church of England now so called is the Church of our Prelates and may be rightly tearmed the Prelaticall or Hierarchicall Church of England received from Rome the seat of Antichrist and set up here after he Protestants fell off from that Papall Church for it 's framed of Prelates and also of a Prelaticall Clergie and onely ruled by them QVAERE Whither any such Church was ever in the Apostles dayes or any time shortly after within 2 or 300. yeares Whither any such Church be among any of the reformed Churches or anywhere else but under the Pope the Beast which hath two hornes like a Lambe but speaketh like a Dragon Rev. 13 Whither therefore it be guided by the Spirit of Christ or by the Spirit of Antichrist Whither God hath ever permitted any mortall men frame a Church after their wisedome For when hee gave 1 The Paterne for his Tabernacle to Moses Exo. 25.9 and 26.30 Heb. 8.5 2 The Paterne of his Temple to David 1 Chr. 28.19 verse 11 12 13. 1 K. 6.38 3 The Paterne of the rebuilding of it to the Prophet Ezek. 43 10 11. He did not suffer MOSES nor DAVID nor SALOMON nor the Prophet nor any of them to attempt such a thing Was he so carefull for the type and shadow and not for the Antitype and substance Whither therefore a frame of a Church after an humaine devise may not be altered vpon good reasons by lawfull power The humble Petition That it may be considered of HOw according to the Romish fashion by the name of Church 1 The Prelates vnderstand onely themselves and as they call them their Clergie 2 Than they seclude the Nobles and Gentry the whole House of Parliament the Vpper and Lower from being of the Church and so debarre them from having any right to meddle in Church matters When the title of Church monopolized to themselves is taken in Scripture of the New Testament Either for the Ministers and people together Mat. 16. 18. Act. 12.1 13.1 9.31 15.22 14.27 and so usually Or for the people distinct from Ministers Act. 14.23 where the people are called the Church before they had Pastours set over them Where Pastours and people are distinguished there the people are called the Church and not the Ministers the Ministers are said to bee of the Church and not the Church Rev. 18.2.1.8 The Churches denomination is from the people who also are the Lords Clergie 1 Pet. 5.3 The word in English is Heritage the Latin Cleri and in the Greeke {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} There is much complaint touching Monopolies in another nature but this is taken no notice of and yet this Monoply is a Mystery of mischiefes for by this name of the Church assumed to themselves 1 They dignifie very greatly their power as may appeare by the 20. Article of Religion which they have corrupted from that it was at first set out in Anno 1561. 1571. 2. They decree what they please without controle as is evident by their former and late Canons 3. They strike an awefulnesse in all sorts vnder the sacred name of Church When the Church representative ought to be gathered of both sorts as they be now distinguished of the Learned and Godly Laity as well as of the Clergie Why should therefore the whole Lords and Christian Spirits of the Gentry lose the right into which the holy Ghost by calling them and the rest his Church hath invested them In former times Parliaments have confirmed Injunctions Ecclesiasticall and our Service Booke containing Gods worship matters of an high nature and why not still so And if the Nobles and Commons can claim so much as to ratifie ye matters Ecclesiastical being concluded vpon I hope it is by perusall therof before els how can they in judgement confirme them And if they have wisedome from God to confirme them made why may not some chosen men bee appointed to consult with the Convocation House about the framing of those things which are to bee set forth seeing they very much concerne all The Brethren at the great Councill at Ierusalem were not shut out while the Apostles and Elders came together to consider of a great controversie in Divinity and in making their decrees but when they were sent forth they passed vnder their owne name with the name of the brethren also Act. 15.6.22 23. David consulted with the Laity as well as with the Priests and Levits to bring vp the Ark of God 1 Chr. 13.1 2.3 Hezekiah concerning the keeping of the Passeover tooke counsell thereabout not with the Priests onely but with his Princes and all the Congregation in Jerusalem 2 Chro. 30.1 2. This Monopoly was not then learned among Gods ancient people nor among the holy Apostles in their dayes SECTION II. Of the principall persons in this Prelaticall Church and of their Dependents vpon them 1 There are two Provinciall Archbishops The one of the Province of Yorke Metropolitan of England the other of Canterbury Metropolitan of all England Dependents on Canterbury 1 His Princelike Retinue 2 His Domesticke Chapleines and the rest 3 Houshold Servants 4 All his Officers for temporalities and the Revenues thereof which are very great 5 All his Spirituall Officers under him which are these 1 His Vicar Generall 2 His Guardians of Spiritualities 3 The Deane of the Arches with all the number depending upon them 4 His many Courts The Court of Faculties The Court of Audience The Prerogative Court The Delegates
The Consistory in Pauls The High Commission Court With the swarmes of Attendance on these Courts as Advocates Registers Doctours Proctours Pursevants Messengers and apparitours With all other belonging to them all which come to many hundreds QVAERE WHither all or any of these be of divine institution Whither the words of Christ forbidding to be gracious Lords extend not to these Mat. 20 25 26. Luke 22.25 26. Mar. 10 42 43 44 45. Whether any spirituall function ordained by Christ standeth in need of so great a Prelate and so great a dependance to discharge the duties thereof Whither this greatnesse hath any time beene the support of goodnesse and of good men in their places or rather hath not from this greatnesse risen great troubles as at this day and much persecution almost ever since the beginning of reformation The humble Petition THat the immeasurable greatnesse of these gracious Lords might be abated and the number of those their dependents lessened That they might be made to shew themselves Arch-teachers of Christs Gospel and to attend vnto some particular flocke to feed them That they might not be of Princes counsell for commonly God leaveth such to become ill States men because they doe contrary to Christs bidding It shall not bee so with you Mat. 20.26 Luk. 21.25 Mar. 10.42 And for that they neglect the sacred calling of the Ministery which is to be of Christs heavenly Counsell to give attendance vnto temporall affaires and to be of Earthly Kings counsell II. There be twenty foure Bishops Diocesan Lord Bishops They are seated in severall places throughout the Kingdome Of these three are under Yorke Carleile Durham and Chester All the rest are vnder Canterbury Dependents on these Their traine of Domesticke Servants Their Chapleines Their Officers concerning their temporalities Their 24 Courts And hereto belonging 26 Chancellours with wayters on them 24 Registers with their men 24 Gentlemen Apparitours 48 Proctours if but two to a Court 120 apparitours at least more then a good many QVAERE WHither these Diocesan Bishops be jure divino and have warrant from Scripture Whither St. Peters speech reacheth not to them that they should not Lord it over Gods heritage by over ruling it 1 Pet. 5.3 Whither we cannot be as well without them as all other reformed Churches or whither we will condemne those Churches for casting them out or not receiving them in Whether this be not a mocke to say no Bishop no King seeing they also say no Ceremony no Bishop therefore no Ceremony no King what a weake standing bring they a King unto But a King is Gods ordinance not so they and in Denmark hath beene a King and no Bishops this 100 yeares Whither Bishops wanting in Diocesses upon vacancy some 10 some 20 yeares as some have beene may not be so for more yeares and so for ever And if they may be wanting in a Diocesse why not in a Province and so why not every where Whither may not our King as lawfully cast them out as did the King of Denmark his Grandfather Whither by their authority have they advanced true religiō or upheld meere formes of it shewes habites gestures and Ceremoniall observances rather then the power of godlinesse What wickednesse and vanity is suppressed by him nay what errour what vice Idolatry and prophainnesse groweth not under them What one made better by them in the wayes of God What one brought to a pious reformation by their Citations Excommunications and imposed penancies The humble Petition THat they be seated in Pastorall charges every one over a particular flocke as at first all Bishops were there to preach and teach the people and so their many dependents might be taken away That their Chancellours be removed from them and their over swaying masterfulnesse in their Courts bee taken downe and cut off That they their Officers and their Courts may bee brought vnder some such authority as may rule over them question them and duely censure them when there is just cause and not suffer them to be like Kings free without command or any power of censure at all over them Is it fit they should judge all and be free from the Iudgement of any 3. There be threescore Archds. vnder these Bishops Dependents on these They have threescore Courts to which doe belong Commissaries Officials Surrogates 60 Registers with their servants 120 Proctours if but two to every Court 200 Apparitours at least The whole number appertaining to Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons with the many peculiars are judged to bee no fewer then ten thousand persons which need yearely two hundred thousand pounds to maintaine them all the greater and inefriour ones reckoning but 20 l. a man when many have 100 l a yeare some 200 l. others more QVAERE Whither these swarmes of Waspes be of necessary vse in the spirituall Kingdome of Christ Whether their Courts be reformative or deformative Whether there is any likelyhood that their grosse abbuses of Gods Ordinances in sending out excommunications and their commuting of penance c. can please God to bring an holy reformarion Whether it can be probably imagined that those Courts can reforme others who in themselves are so corrupt and mercenary and will employ such base and lewd companions in a spirituall businesse as be the Apparitors whom either they cannot or will not reforme Whether their Courts being taken away as in all other reformed Churches their want should be bewailed and their setting vp againe be desired Whether the masse of mony which is spent by these so many thousands might not well be spared and farre better employed The humble Petition THat these Courts be not longer permitted to take in so many thousand presentments every halfe yeare onely to make such gaine of the people as they doe for they reforme no mens persons but plague their purses That some other way might be considered of agreeable to Gods Word and the godly practise of other Churches for suppression of vice and the maintenance of vertue in every Parish That their lewd Apparitours so many and so many be not long suffred That in their Courts their proceedings may be open to the hearing of all and that they lap not vp businesses in secret as their manner is to shut their Consistory doore where they doe as they please with delinquents That they delay not men in their Courts forcing and vexing poore men to come very often before they can bee dismissed a grievous vexation to needy labouring men SECTION III. Of the meanes to support their Prelaticall greatnesse These have their Lordly Pallaces and great houses They have their Ecclesiasticall dignities and Spirituall Offices and what doe thereto belong They have their Baronries and the ample revenues thereof Viis modis such is their Income as it cannot but amount to an hundred besides their adherents which in all amounts to foure hundred thousand pounds or thereabouts and 40 thousand pounds per annum if not more so much their greatnesse
the Noble Lords the worthy Commons of the house of Parliament would carefully see that the Convocation be gathered lawfully that voyces be free therein without over-awing power that nothing be there decreed but with a serious examination and full consent of the house and not be permitted to passe without an act of Parliament For if this kind of Convocation and their such proceedings as have beene be suffred to passe they will Lord it over vs still and in the Church there will never be peace Oh consider how in the Parliament they have been prevalent over their equals and betters in the Convocation then they must needs domineere over all their vnderlings on whom they can avenge themselves afterwards if they find any wisely and with courage to have affronted and crossed any of their intents and purposes SECTION X. Of the great and manifold evils of the Prelaticall Governours THey beare vp themselves mightily by their Revenues and Baronries strengthening themselves in their pompe and in their pride to overtop whom they list They become as great Peeres of the Land and sit in Parliament with them cheeke by joole to affront all the Nobles of the Kingdome to beare downe the house of Commons and perhaps to procure the dissolving of Parliaments to the great disturbance of the whole Kingdome and State They have raised vp a bellum Episcopale to dash two Kingdomes one against another to the shedding of much blood if God in mercy prevent it not They keepe vp a Romish Hierarchie among us full of corruption which they suffer not to be reformed They vphold the forenamed sinfull Prelaticall and Priestly Clergy so as those their Priests be conformable to all their rites and Ceremonies they may in a manner live as they list and be supported against all those that shall attempt their reformation They are pleased with the peoples ignorance and their contentednesse resting in a long read service without better instruction holding reading to be preaching and preaching no part of divine service that so such silly people might be nufled in grosse blindnesse perishing for lacke of knowledge They suppresse Lectures and Sermons in the afternoone and allow no questions in Catechizing but onely such as be in the very common Catechisme much hindering increase of knowledge They will permit no Minister to preach or to expound in his own Parish without paying for a License for which when he hath paid they never care whither hee preach or no They will allow none of the people to seeke for instruction when they want it at home nor yet presse the Minister to the discharge of his duty but trouble others They never trouble any Minister for neglect of his duty in preaching But diligent preachers they have a jealous eye over and are ready to take an occasion to vexe them as not for their turne They sinfully trouble thousands of Churchwardens and Sidemen making them sweare to their Articles which cannot be observed They hinder prohibitions stop the courses of Law and terrifie both Lawyers and Iudges They dare to fine and imprison without Law going beyond all Spirituall power yea the Lawes of our Land They have ever beene plotting to ensnare Christs painfull Ministers that they might roote them out 1. They pressed upon them subscription and Ceremonies and so cast out very many II. They urge the oath ex officio and by this they have undone not a few III. They procured the reading of the Declaration for prophaning the Sabbath our Lords day and hereby many were suspended excommunicated and some deprived IV. When they saw that all these things would not bring to passe their intended mischiefe they lately framed a wicked Oath to be tendered to all Gods Ministers which whosoever would not take should be suspended first and after deprived Lastly to make up the measure of their evils they have illegally given a Subsidie to be extorted from us under the name of a benevolence which whosoever shall refuse to pay is utterly undone according to their mercilesse decree in a book published which now they are loath should see the light and be read of any judicious and religious Lay men They are the cause of the Division and Separation among us by their Lordly rule their rigour in exacting conformity and their cruell dealing with such as doe not obey their Lordly wills They suffer Papists and nourish Arminians in the besome of their Church to the disturbance danger of the true Church of Christ and this whole state They allow to vaine people Revils heathenish vanities vnchristian meetings and that on the Lords day to prophane it and have procured a Declaration for the reading of this Licentious liberty in every Church and such Ministers as refused they did suspend excommunicate and some they deprived The like never heard of in any Church of Christ They will have bowing to Altars and yet permit notorious offenders yea Theeves and Murtherers condemned if they have gotten pardons to come to the holy Sacrament before satisfaction be given to the Congregation yea drunkards blasphemous Swearers infamous Adulterers and other vile persons may receive and not be debarred if they can satisfie their Courts and free themselves from thence though they doe not manifest their repentance to the Congregation eating and drinking the holy Sacrament unworthily to their owne damnation a prophanenesse prophanenesse much to be lamented They hunt after greatnesse not for goodnesse but for gaine to withstand all good meanes of reformation and all the wayes of redressing their corrupt courses much to the hinderance of the growth in religion and of mens more religious conversation and walking with God QVAERE Whither these evils are not such as may force all pious men to lay them to heart and to seeke that they may bee removed as farre as they are able to the utmost that wee may be freed from their unjustifiable courses and grievous wrongs Whither we should not endeavour to introduce that which may better the Ecclesiasticall government and bring this Prelaticall power within bounds and our selves from the intolerable Burthen thereof The humble Petition THat for these so many great and grievous evils they may be questioned and caused to reforme or else bee censured and punished For They never had possession peaceably but they have beene 1 Prayed against for a long time 2 Preached against by many 3 Written against by many on this side and beyond the Seas 4 Testified against by suffering suspension excommunication deprivation open punishment to the cropping of eares slitting of the Nose standing on the Pillory imprisonment and some have suffered death 5 Withstood by the Sword And what now remaineth but for their evils to bee condemned by the honourable and happy Assembly in Parliament That a better way of government might be thought off after the wisedome of God in men tending not to the subversion of Ecclesiasticall government but to moderate the now Governours ease the Land of excesse Charges rid our selves of