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I.

they disallowed parochial and provincial subordinations, and CHARLES formed all their congregations upon a scheme of co-ordinacy. Some sort of ceremonious preference was allowed to the elder Church, but without any addition of authority.

As to the manner of their service, they prayed publicly for kings and all in authority; they read the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and expounded the lessons upon proper occasions; they administered the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper; they used singing of Psalms, and made collections for the poor every Lord's-day. Their public officers were pastors, teachers, ruling elders (which were ecclesiastics), Id. p. 8. and deacons.

minis a

As for Church censures, they lay all within the compass of Id. p. 9. admonition and excommunication; and, notwithstanding these Actus regifew branches of discipline, the latter was never exerted during synodis debent porrigi, their stay in Holland. Farther: they reckoned synods an non perugi, Responsio useful expedient, and necessary in some cases, but would not Jo. Norton, allow them any binding force: they were to declare the truth, p. 114. they said, but had no authority to enjoin obedience and govern practice. The Presbyterians charged these Independents with an ambulatory, uncertain religion: to which they answered, they only kept themselves upon the reserve for farther discoveries of truth. The misunderstandings among themselves at Rotterdam have been touched already. The congregation at Arnheim, where Goodwin and Nye were pastors, were better united. Here, besides the Church ordinances above-mentioned, they proposed the receiving the holy kiss; prophesyings in the 1 Cor. xvi congregation, when any of the audience thought themselves qua- 1Cor. xiv. 2. lified to speak; honouring of widows'; and extreme unction. Eph. v. 19, All this they thought sufficiently recommended by Scripture John v. 14. authority. But, before they came to a resolution upon these points, they had a prospect of better business in England: for now the hierarchy was broken, the inclosures of discipline pulled up, and the Puritan party encouraged by the two houses at Westminster. The juncture being thus inviting, the Congregationalists quitted Holland, and came for England. At their arrival they immediately practised upon their scheme, and gathered Churches. The Presbyterians looked upon this proselyting as no better than encroachment. They complained their flocks were perverted and their settlement disturbed. They expected the Independents should resign their singularities, and

1 "Honour widows that are widows indeed.”—1 Tim. v. 3.

20.

1 Tim. v. 3.

830.

LAUD, come under the Scotch regulation, now countenanced by the parAbp. Cant. liament. On the other hand, these men excepted to the Genevian plan, refused to be concluded by a majority, and moved for a toleration. This motion being rejected by the assembly, Goodwin and the other four members already mentioned addressed the parliament with an "Apologetical Narrative." And here they only petition for indisturbance in their own country, not knowing, as they say, to retreat elsewhere to any tolerable convenience. How the controversy was banded between the Presbyterians and Independents on this head, shall be related afterwards.

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What success the assembly's letter had among the foreign Protestants, is more than I can account for, excepting in the Netherlands. Here the Dutch divines made no difficulty to close with the English rebellion. They sent an answer to the address they had received, in which they express their satisfaction with the proceedings of the parliament touching the coveMemorials, nant, and desire their admission into that engagement. p. 79.

Whitlock's

A. D. 1643.

The committees for sequestration of delinquents' estates had an oath sent down to them by an ordinance of the lords and commons. They were to tender it to all persons of one-andtwenty years of age; and, in case they refused it, two-thirds of their estates, real and personal, were to be forfeited. The oath was in the form following:

"I, A. B., do abjure and renounce the pope's supremacy and authority over the Catholic Church in general, and over myself in particular; and I do believe that there is not any transubstantiation in the sacrament of the Lord's supper, or in the elements of bread and wine, after consecration thereof, by August 19. any person whatsoever; and I do also believe that there is not any purgatory, or that the consecrated host, crucifixes, or images, ought to be worshipped, or that any worship is due unto any of them; and I also believe that salvation cannot be merited by works; and all doctrines in affirmation of the said points I do abjure, renounce, without any equivocation, mental reservation, or secret evasion whatsoever, taking the words by me spoken according to the common and usual meaning of them.

Scobel's Collect. &c. fol. 50.

Aug. 28. An ordinance

"So help me God.”

The same month another ordinance passed, that "all monuments of superstition or idolatry should be removed and demo

I.

against

stition.

lished." But this, being much the same with the order sent CHARLES down by Pym and the parliament-committee about three years since, needs not be repeated. This ordinance, in the beginning monuments of the next summer, was reinforced with another of a resem- and superbling purport. By virtue of this latter provision, "all representations of any angel or saint, in any cathedral, collegiate, or parish church or chapel, or in any open place, was to be taken away, defaced, and utterly demolished; the chancelground of every church or chapel, raised for any altar or communion-table, was to be levelled; no copes, surplices, superstitious vestments, roods, or holy water-fonts" (as they called them), "were to be used; no cross, crucifix, or representation of any angel or saint, was to remain upon any place or other furniture belonging to the worship of God; and all organs were taken away, and, with the other superstitious vestments above-mentioned, utterly defaced."

Id. fol. 69.

A.D. 1644.

The next ordinance of the two houses commands a stricter observation of the Lord's-day. In this pretended act, the "king's declaration concerning lawful sports to be used, and April 6, all other books and pamphlets, that have been or shall be written, printed, or published against the morality of the fourth commandment or of the Lord's-day, shall be called in, seized, and publicly burnt, by the justices of peace." It is likewise ordained by the lords and commons, "that all and singular May-poles shall be taken down by the constables, against May poles. churchwardens," &c., " and none suffered for the future." Id. fol. 68.

This summer, after the fight at Marston-moor, in which the king's forces were worsted, the assembly of divines communicated a letter to the parliament, which they received from the Kirk of Scotland. It was a sort of remonstrance against the dilatory proceedings in settling the Church government in England. This expostulation was not without effect: for, soon after, the assembly had leave to draw up a form for ordination of ministers and debating the settlement of the Church. And the question being put by the assembly, whether presbytery is jure divino, hoping to carry it in the affirmative, one of the lay-members stood up, and objected that though government in general was jure divino, yet whether presbytery, episcopacy, independency, or any other form of Church government, was jure divino, was a disputable point. Therefore, he thought it advisable for the assembly to forbear declaring their

VOL. VIII.

T

An ordi

nance

LAUD, judgment: for, if this government was not jure divino, no Abp. Cant, decision of any council could make it so; and, if it had the

privilege of being jure divino, it would continue so still, though the assembly declared nothing upon the point. He therefore thought it prudential for them to go lower in their resolution, and make their report to the parliament, that, in their opinion, "presbytery was most agreeable to the Word of God, and most fit to be settled in this kingdom ;" and that, if they put it no higher, he believed they might have a settlement upon this Whitlock's footing. Memorials,

p. 94.

Another

of ministers.

In October following, an ordinance was passed touching touching ordination. By this provision, some assembly-men of disordination tinction, and certain London ministers, or any seven or more of them, were empowered to "lay their hands" on such persons as they found qualified for the holy ministry. To this a clause of privilege was added, that all persons so ordained should be reputed ministers of the Church of England, sufficiently authorized for any office or employment in it, and capable of all advantages appertaining to the same. To show the invalidity of these ordinations, a learned tract was published by Dr. Bohea, chaplain to Houson, bishop of Oxford.

Archbishop
Laud im-

high treason.

Archbishop Laud, having been three years imprisoned, his peached of jurisdiction and patronage seized, and his estate sequestered, was now impeached of high treason before the lords. The commons, who drew the impeachment, exhibited their charge in one-and-twenty articles. The archbishop put in his answer, where, to cover himself from the thirteenth article, setting forth," that he had maliciously and traitorously plotted and endeavoured to stir up war and enmity between his majesty's two kingdoms of England and Scotland, and to that purpose has laboured to introduce into the kingdom of Scotland divers innovations, both in religion and government," &c. -to cover himself from this article, he pleaded the act of oblivion passed this parliament: not that he was conscious of any guilt, but, considering the disadvantage of the times and the strength of the faction, he did not think it fit to part with any legal advantage.

831.

When this trial came on, the commons ordered serjeant Wild, Brown, Maynard, Nicholas, and Hill, for the managers, and Pryn was employed to provide and prompt the evidence.

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The trial was carried on, by intervals, through twenty days' CHARLES hearing, from the 12th of March to the 29th of July. Some part of the charge pressed by the Scotch commissioners has been already mentioned. As for his whole defence, it is partly foreign to my purpose, and much too long to insert. However, something farther upon this subject may not be amiss. begin.

To

The archbishop, after his twenty days' hearing, having moved for the liberty of repeating an abstract of the articles, with his answer to each of them; the lords sent him word to be ready with his recapitulation against the 2nd of September. And about this time it was resolved in the house of commons, that he should enjoy the benefit of the "Act of Oblivion," and not be charged with any thing relating to the troubles of Scotland. Troubles, The archbishop, brought to the house of lords at the day &c. of Abp. appointed, desired their lordships to remember, in the first Laud, place, the generality, and, by consequence, the uncertainty of 411. almost every article of the impeachment; that the charge being thus unbounded, and lying at random, put him to great difficulties in making his defence.

2. He desired their lordships would be pleased to consider how far he was straitened in time, insomuch, that the intervals between each hearing were sometimes so short, that he had not leisure to peruse the evidence, and much less to review his answers, and fortify them if occasion required. For these reasons, amongst others, he desired his counsel may be heard as to matter of law, before their lordships proceeded to

sentence.

Hist. of the

p. 169, 216,

His trial.

remember the Part of his And here he defence.

3. He desired the lords would be pleased to hardships put upon him since his confinement. reminded them, that the key and use of his study at Lambeth, both books and papers, were taken from him. Secondly, that his apartments in the Tower were searched by Pryn, and one-and-twenty bundles of papers, prepared for his defence, seized and carried off, and not three bundles restored; that this search was made before the impeachment was formed into any particular articles; that his pockets were examined, his diary and Prayer-book taken away, and afterwards used against him; that in some instances all this was done, not to prove a charge, but to make one. Thirdly, that all

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