Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A75650
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Articles of accusation and impeachment of the House of Commons, and all the Commons of England against VVilliam Pierce Doctor of Divinitie and Bishop of Bath and Wells.
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England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing A3832; Thomason E238_25; ESTC R19350
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7,684
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10
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punished one Master Thomas â—â—ford a Minister for Preaching at the Parish of Mountagu upon the Revell day upon the Praphet Ioels exhortation to fasting weeping and mourning charging him that not onely his Sermon but his very Text was * A pious â—…pall reason fitter for an Alewife then a Bishop an Atheist then a Prelate scandalous to the Revell and gave offence to the meeting And or the same reason the said Bishop commanded the said Church-warde's of the Parish of Batcombe to blot out of the Church wall this Text of Scripture therein written taken out of Esay 58.13.14 * O blasphemy why was not the Revell rather scandalous to the text If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabboth from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honorable and shalt honour him not doing the owne waieâ—s nor finding thine owne pleasure nor speaking thine owne words then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feede thee with heritage of Jacob thy Father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it And he likewise caused to be rased out this clause in Doctor Bisse his monument in that Church formerly Pâ—stor there he was an enemy to heathenish Revell To countenance which Revells the said Bishop in opposition to the orders of the Judges of Assise and Justices of Peace of Somerset-shire for the suppressing of Sports and Revells and their Petition to the King to that purpose did call before him divers ministers of his Diocesse and presented unto them a writing in approbation and commendations of the said sports and Revells whereupon many of the said Ministers subscribed their names by the Bishops perswasions which writing the said Bishop sent up to the Archbishop of Canterbury who after the receipt thereof suppressed the Justices Petition And partly after the booke for sports and Revells on the Lords day was published 6. That hee hath both by example and cammand contrary to the Lawes of the Land introduced into all or most Churches in his Diocesse sundry Innovations in the Rives and Ceremonies of the Church and other new inventions of his owne tending to Popery and Superstition as namely setting up of Alters and enjoyning the seats about them to be taken away saying * O the desperate impiety and prophanenesse of this Bishop who might as well obliterate this Scripture out of the Bible as out of the Church wall This speech he borrowed from Canterbury who might doe well to prove that God almighty sits actually on the Lords Table that as well when there is no Communion there as when there is none shall sit equall with or above God Almighty bowing and crinâ—ing to the said Altars and reading the second and third service at the Alter and enjoyned the strict observation of them under the heaviest Censures of the Church in so much that the Communion Table of Stretton in his Diocesse which he had caused to be railed in Altarwise being brought downe againe in his former place and not turned to the East thereupon no Communion was there permitted to the Parishioners on Palme-Sunday and Easterday 1637. the minister having received an Order from the said Bishop * O monstrous superstition sacriledge impiety to deprive the people of the Sacrament because the Table stood not after his new â—ancy No age I am certain yeelds such a president not to administer the Communion untill the Table was againe set up Alterwise and caused deverse to be punished for not standing up at the Gospel and Gloria Patri And he hath likewise forced divers parishes as Tanto Shepton Mallet and others to their intolerable cost to set up Organs * It seemes his Lordship delighted more in piping then preaching and will have men goe merrily dancing not mouthing to heaven where there were none at all or not a long time before causing the Churchwarden to levie mony towards the building of them upon the Parishioners against their wills and punishing them in his Ecclesiasticall Court that would not pay towards them and that hee hath put the County of Somerset to excessive oxpences by reason of such Innovations as aforesaid 7. That he hath contrary to Law vexed and molested in his Ecclesiasticall Courts divers of the Clergy and Laity of his Diocesse for triviall and small matters excommunicated and vexed divers Churchwardens for not rayling in the communion Table and placing it Alterwise against the East wall of the Chancell and by name the Churchwardens of Beckington whom he not excommunicated but likewise caused them and others to be unjustly indicted at the open Assizes held in the County in Lent 1636. as for a Riot in hindring the removing of the Table in that Church putting the said Parish to the expence of 1800. pound or more and not absolving the Churchwardens from their excommunion till the they had done such open and ignominious pennance as the said Bishop enjoyned them in three eminent Parish Churches within his Diocesse as likewise at the Market-crosse at Wells The performance of which pennance wrought so farre upon Iames Wheeler one of the said Churchwardens that thereupon he fell into a consumption through griefe and so dyed saying often before his death that the performance of the said pennance being so ignominious and against his Conscience was the cause of his death and by his vexatious suites in his Ecclesiasticall Courts he hath raised his Registers office in former Bishops time not worth above 60 pound per annum to the value of 3 or 4 hundred pounds or more by the yeare 8. That the said Bishop hath undoubtedly and against Law pressed the Oathes Ex Officio upon divers inhabitants of Wells without complaint or accusation and likewise the Oath of Deanes Rurall with other unlawfull Oathes both upon the Clergie and Laity within his Diocesse and other places and suspended and excommunicated divers of them that refâ—sed to take the said Oathes and that not only in his Consistory Court but in his owne private Chamber there being none but a Râ—gâ—ster with him 9. That he hath for his owne Lucre and gaine extorted divers summes of money against Law as of one Fort one of the Churchwardens of South Pederton twenty pounds And also of one Master Francklyn the sorne of three pounds besides the some of ten pounds given in Fees and rewards to the Bishops servants for instituting him into the Personage of Standerweeke And hath likewise exacted the summe of sixe shillings eight pence or more of divers Churchwardens and Parishes within his Diocesse onely for not ringing the Bells when hee passed through the bounds of their severall Parishes in his Uisitation though privately without giving them any notice of his comming that way 10. That he hath against Law deferred and denyed Institutions upon presentations to Benefices practising in the interim under hand to consetre the sonie upon his
ARTICLES OF ACCVSATION AND IMPEACHMENT Of the House of Commons and all the Commons of ENGLAND AGAINST VVilliam Pierce Doctor of Divinitie and Bishop of Bath and Wells London Printed for George Thomlinson and are to be sold in the Old-Baily 1642. Articles of Accusation and impeachment by the Comons House of Parliament against William Pierce Doctor of Divinity and Bishop of Bath and Wells 1. THat hee hath by his owne arbitrary power against Law since he was Bishop of Bath and wells being about ten yeares space of purpose to keepe the people in ignorance and hinder the Salvation of their Soules which he should promote suppressed all Lectures within his Diocesse both in Market Townes and elsewhere aswell those that the Ministers kept in their severall cures as others that were maintained by severall yearely stipends given by the founders our of their piety and devotion for such goodnesse or by the voluntary assistance of neighbour Ministers some of which * Among thes he hath suppersed the ancient weekly lecture at the City of Bath whither many Nobles and other strangers rosort especially in the spring and fall who by reason of their sicknesse both desire need preaching for the consolation instruction of their soules of which now they are there destitute to their great discomfort Lectures had continued for 50.40.30 yeares without interruption and where countenanced by his predecessors who used to preach at some of them in their turnes 2. That in stead of incouraging he hath suspended excommunicated and otherwise vexed the said Lectures glorying in this so doing and thanking God that he had not a Lecture left in all his Diocesse the very name whereof he saâ—d he disliked and affirmed unto Master Cunnant a Minister who desired a continuance of a Lecture that hee would not leave one within his Diocesse the Bâ—shop alleadging that though there was neede of Preaching in the infancy of the Church of the Apostles time yet now their was no such neede and thereupon required the said Minister upon his Canonicall obedience not to Preach and in like maâ—ner he dealt with many other godly Ministers within his Diocesse And in parâ—icular he suspended Mastere Devenish the Minister of Bridgewater for preaching tâ—e Lecture in his owne Church on the market day there which Lecture had continued from Queene Elizabeths time till then and refused to absolve him till he had promised never to preach it more upon which promise the said Bishop absolved him with this admonition of our Saviour most prophanely applyed * Iohn 5.14 I dare say no Commentator whatsoever ever made so ill an application of this Text. Goe thy way sin no more least a worse thing happen to thee And not content to put downe Lectures in his own Diocesse he hath indeavored the suppression of them in others by conventing some ministers of his Diocesse before him as namely one Master Cunnant and Master Stickland and threatning to suspend them for preaching their turnes at Lectures in other Diocesses neere them 3. That in opposition to Preaching and the Sirituall cood of the peoples Soules * It appears by Act 20.20.31 Act. 2 46. â—3 4. 5. Lu. 21 37.38 Ioh. 8 22.19.47.2 tim 4.2 by Basil Magnus Hexaemeron Hom. 2.7 8.9 Hom. in Psal 114. by Saint Chrysostom Hom. 10.22 34. in Gen. Ad Pop. Antioch Hom. 19.13 5. De saceidotio l. 6. hom de Lazaro by Augusti Concio 2. in Psal 68. Tract 16.18 21. in Ioan. and other Fathers that Christ his Apostles and the Fathers preached every day and forenoone and afternoone on the Loâ—ds day how dare then this prelate thus to affront their practise he hath most impiously and against Law put downe all afternoone Sermons on the Lords day throughout his Diocesse and charged the Ministers both publique in his visitation and privately not to preach at all on the Lords day on the afternoone upon any occasion under paine of suspension after which charge he suspended one Master Cornish a Minister onely for preaching a funeraâ—l Sermon on a Lords day Evening 4. That divers godly Ministers of his Diocesse being restrained from Preaching did thereupon take great paines to Chatechise the people in the principals of Religion on the Lords day in the afternoâ—ne enlarging themselves upon the questions and answers of the Catechisme in the Common-prayer booke for the peoples better instruction using some short prayers before or after that exercise of which the said Bishâ—p having inâ—elligence convenâ—ed the said Ministers before him reproving them sharpely for the same threatning to punish them if they persisted in that way which he said was a Chatechisme Sermon-wise and as if they preached charging them that they should aske no questions nor receive any other answers from the people but such as were contained in the Catechisme in the Service booke which some not observing were convented threupon before the said Bishop and punished as namely Master Barret Rector of Barwick who was enjoyned Penance for transgressing the Bishops said order and likewise Humphrey Blake Church-warden of Bridgewater was enjoyned penance by the Bishop for not presenting Master Devenish Minister there for that he expounded upon the Church-Catechisme on the Lords day in the afternoone and made a short prayer before he began the same the Bishop alleaging that it was against his order and command as is abovesaid 5. That he hath both by precept example most prophanely opposed the due sanctification of the Lords day by approving and allowing of prophane Wakes and Revels on that day contrary to the Lawes and Statutes of this Realme for which purpose he * O prophane Impiety and Iniustice to punish ministers for preaching Catechising and doing that which God enioynes them commanded afternoone service on the Lords day not to be long that so the people might not bee hindred from their Recreations pressed and injoyned all the Ministers in his Diocesse in their proper persons to reade the booke of sports in their severall parish Churches in the middest of Divine Service at morning prayer on the Lords day contray to the words and perport of the said booke which some Ministers as Master Humphry Chambers and Master Thomas refusing to doe * Impiety and prophanenesse which no age can patterne many minister have been suspended and censured for shortning the Service that they might preach the longer and yet they are commanded to corâ—al it by this Bishop that the people might have more time to play in Gods own day he therefore suspended them both from their Office and Benefice and kept them excommunicated for divers yeares notwithstanding the said booke was by the Bishops Order published in their churches by others he convented the ministers of Beererockham before him for having two Sermons on the said parish Revell day alleadging that it was a hinderance to the said Revell and to the 〈◊〉 of the Church-Ale provided to be spent on that day He converted and