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IV

A LIST OF PURITAN COMPLAINTS PRIOR TO 1604

Bancroft's treatment of the Puritans' complaints was so careful and comprehensive that it merits more attention than could be allotted to it in the text. An attempt has been made to collect here the more important gravamina and to show whether they were rejected or accepted by the Canons of 1604. A complete list of complaints, as well as a complete bibliography, was found to involve a greater amount of labour than the result seemed to warrant. After all, the excellence of the Puritan position must be determined not by the number of times their demands were reiterated, but by their intrinsic importance and inherent justice. All the petitions, and indeed most documents drafted by the Puritans, are germane to this inquiry; but the following references will suffice for all but the most exacting research. Strype, Whitgift, I, 245, 246, 387; II, 6-13, 374; III, 47-62. Strype, Annals, I, 502; III, part i, 135, 264, 291. Barlow's Summe and Substance of the Conference. Usher's Presbyterian Movement, and these tracts: An Abstract of Certain Acts of Parlement, (1584), Parte of a Register, (1590), The Abolishing of the Booke of Common Prayer by Reason of above fifty grosse Corruptions in it, (1605), Certain demandes with their groundes drawne out of holy writ, (1605).

1. Episcopacy is not warranted by Scripture and therefore should be abolished. Rejected by the Canons as a whole. 2. There ought to be "prophesyings" or conferences of the ministers of the district. Rejected by Canons LXXII, LXXIII. 3. The Prince may not declare of vital importance "things indifferent" or compel obedience to them. Rejected by Canons I and XXX.

4. Nothing may be retained in the Church which the Popes had diverted from its original use as instituted by the Fathers of the Church. Rejected by Canon XXX, and others.

5. The greatest need of the Church is a preaching ministry. Recognized and rules adopted to insure preaching, Canons XLIIXLVIII, but the Puritan idea of a preaching ministry as Bancroft understood it was rejected, Canons XIV, LIV, LVI.

6. Ministers unable to preach are not ministers, for they fail to perform the minister's primary function. Rejected, Canon LVII. 7. The intention of the minister is not of the essence of the sacrament, that is, he may employ the form, though he does not approve of it, and yet not impair the sanctity of the rite. Rejected by Canon LVII.

8. The minister should be called by the congregation. (this was of course not believed by the party as a whole.) Rejected by Canons XXXI-XXXIX.

9. The minister shall read the service to the people from that part of the Church where all may hear and be edified. Canon XIV agrees to this, but shows that the bishop would not be likely to agree with the minister's decision.

10. The use of the sign of the cross in baptism is not according to Scripture and is hence forbidden. Compromised, Canon XXX. 11. The use of the ring in marriage is not according to Scripture and is hence forbidden. Rejected, Canons XIV, LXII. 12. There should be no saint's days or holy days, except Sunday. Canon XIII indirectly refuses it.

13. The Apocrypha may not be read. Canon LXXX indirectly refuses it.

14. Baptism by women and private baptism is not allowable. Rejected by Canons XIV, XXIX, LVII, but with certain exceptions specified in Canons LXVIII and LXIX.

15. No interrogatories ought to be administered to infants at the baptismal service. Rejected by Canon XIV.

16. That the minister should confirm such of his parishioners as he deemed ready. Rejected by Canons LX and LXI.

17. The minister ought to wear no surplice, cope, cap, etc. Rejected by Canons XXIV, XXV, LXXIV, but the clergy were ordered to wear very plain and simple dress, and it was explicitly said that no holiness could be attributed to the garments, which were to be used only to preserve decency and order.

18. No one ought to kneel when receiving the communion. jected by Canon XVIII.

19. The names of certain ceremonies are objectionable, as, matins, evensong, litany, advent, confirmation.

Although most of these changes were approved at the Hampton Court Conference, and some were actually introduced into the new edition of the Prayer Book, it could not be said that all the Puritan demands were granted.

20. The sacraments ought not to be celebrated in private houses, even for the dying. Rejected by Canon LXXI, but with provisions for limiting the practice.

21. No minister ought to be forced to subscribe to the XXXIX Articles. Unqualifiedly rejected, Canon XXXVI.

22. Pluralities are wholly unjustifiable. Canon XLI enacted a compromise, which while it rejected the Puritan demand, attempted to reform the abuses.

23. The oath ex officio is unlawful. The worst abuses complained of were reformed by Canons XCIII and XCIV.

24.

Excommunication as used by the ecclesiastical courts is unlawful. Rejected by Canons LXXV and CXXII, but with an attempt to restrict the practice.

25. An objection, often indefinite, to the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts in general. Rejected by the last forty canons. 26. No clergyman ought to be tried by a layman as an ecclesiastical judge. Rejected by Canon CXXII.

27. No minister ought to be summoned out of his own diocese to answer for an offence. Granted by Canon XCIV.

28. The fees in the ecclesiastical courts are excessive. Granted, Canons CXXXV-CXXXVI.

V

PURITAN MANIFESTOES

ADVICE TENDING TO REFORMATION

(Additional MSS. 28571, f. 199. Secretarial Copy, underlined by another hand.)

Whereas his Majestie is informed that if he please the Bishops he shall please all England,-(that the contrarie may appeare) it is thought fytt by some of creditt, and neere to his Majesty that both noblemen, gentlemen, and ministers (everie sort by themselves) complaine of corruptions, and desire reformation in severall petitions, signed with as many hands of everie sorte as may be procured and the same presented to his Majesty in name of the rest.

There must be sundrie petitions of ministers of sundrie partes, and yet but a fewe in a petition to avoyde the suspition of conspiracie, and the petitions to varie in woords, but agree in the desire of reformacon to be according to the woord, and all reformed churches about us: Provided they do not expresslie desire the removing of Bishops. And in complayning of speciall grievances as the oathe ex officio, subscription, ceremonies, especiallie of laymen, as Chauncellors and Commissaries their medling with the churche censures as well against ministers, as others, that they excommunicate for small causes, as to gett money etc.

Besides these petitions, (for the iustifying of the complaintes) ministers are to present unto his Majestie a note of Archdeacons, Chancellors, Commissaries, Bishops, or highe Commissioners their particulars as be materiall, and readie to be proved, especiallie such as haue bene, synce the Kinges comming, likewise some notes of their unlawful and indirect favor to Papists, whoremaisters. etc. Heere is to be wished that the Londyners by the Lord Maior or some other good meanes would shewe themselves zealous in this respect.

The Ministers are also to stirre up the people to a desire or a liking of reformation, both in preaching, as in praying against the superstitious ceremonies, and tirannie of Prelates, provyded that it be performed in iudgment and discretion. Some of the ministers are also to be provyded to dispute upon some propositions to sett out the corruptions that be in the present Hierarchy and Liturgie.

Also Lawyers, against the tyme of the Parlement, are to provide and make readie penned Statutes tending to this purpose. And others are to write some learned treatises against that tyme.

Lastlie whereas the Archb. saith that of 8000 benefices, there are but 500 competent, and therefore Learned men must either lacke competent living or else haue more benefices then one: And whereas also Bishops make their enquirie of the number of graduates in the ministerie, of licensed preachers, and how often they preache, and sithe it is knowne that many be graduates that cannot preache, and many be licenced, that deserve for their insufficiency to be hissed out of the pulpitt, and that yf one be licenced in many Dioceses, he is accounted for so many preachers, and some sett downe themselves to preache once everie Sabbath which scarce preache once a quarter; there would therefore to discover the skirt of the highe Priest be a diligent and faithfull enquirie made. 1°. of the nomber of benefices that be in everie Diocese. 2°. the valewe of them by a common estimation. 3°. the nomber of soules to be taught of the ministers, unlearned, unpreaching, scandalous, hauinge more benefices than one, hauing but one, yet Non-resident, their preachinge but seldome, and unprofitablie. What be their names, livinges and causes of non-residence, how often, and what manner they preache. In this inquirie notice would also be taken of populous townes; and lastlie of Bishops and Commissaries their conversation, wherein scandalous, 1. The Bishops preaching where, and how often, their visitations, whether yearelie, and to what purposes, etc.

DIRECTIONS FROM THE BRETHREN IN LONDON, 1603, 14 JULY (Sloane MSS. 271, f. 20.)

We whose names are underwritten doe agree to make our humble petition to the kinges majestie that the present estate of

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