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<DATE>2010-06-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<P><PB REF="1">
<HI>&V;ox Populi,</HI> EXPRESSED IN XXXV. MOTIONS TO THIS PRESENT <HI>PARLIAMENT.</HI></P>
<P>Being the generall voyce and the humble and earne&s;t reque&s;t of the people of God in <HI>England</HI> to that mo&s;t Honorable and Religious A&s;&s;embly.</P>
<P>For reforming the pre&s;ent corrupt State of the Church.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed by <HI>Irenaus Philadelphus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Printed in the Yeare,</HI> 1641.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>MOTIONS FOR REFORMING THE CHVRCH OF <HI>ENGLAND.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">I. _THat &s;ince the fir&s;t Reforma|tion in King <HI>Edwards</HI> dayes, was rather of the Doctrine, then of the Di&s;cipline, and of the Rites that were palpa|bly gro&s;&s;e, which yet were retained, with a purpo&s;e they &s;hould be removed afterwards, and for to unloo&s;e by degrees, the fa&s;t holds to the Romi&s;h Church: now &s;ince every Prote&s;tant is well informed of the change made in Religion, that what&s;oever in Reli|gion is Popi&s;h, or tending to the di&s;turbing of the peace of the Church, and maintaining of Hereti|call doctrines, be redre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P N="2">II. That in that great worke of Reformation which is of moment and con&s;equence, far beyond the &s;etling of civill affaires, there be appointed by both the Hou&s;es, a Committee or convocation
<PB N="4" REF="3">
and meeting of 40. or 50. Engli&s;h Divines, men that were not of, and did no way favour the late Convocation, and &s;uch as be unpartiall, learned, and uncorrupt in their lives and Doctrine, &s;uch as D^r. <HI>V&s;her</HI> Arch. B. of <HI>Armach,</HI> D^r. <HI>Prideaux,</HI> D^r. <HI>Twi&s;&s;e,</HI> and the like, with 10. <HI>Scots</HI> Divines, to which be called 8. <HI>Forrain</HI> Divines of the mo&s;t learned and famous; &s;uch as <HI>Rivetus, Primro&s;e, Diodati, Moulin,</HI> and the like, who may treat and agree upon a &s;etled platforme of Church-gover|nment, &s;utable to the Monarchy of great <HI>Britain</HI> which ought to be ratified, and enacted by Parli|ament.</P>
<P N="3">III. That &s;ince our neighbour Churches have enjoyed more peace and &s;afety under their di&s;|cipline, our di&s;cipline bee framed upon the pa|tron of theirs, which hitherto hath not beene &s;ubject to the inconveniences that ours is; &s;uch are: To be rent with &s;chi&s;mes, &amp; poy&s;oned with here&s;ies: to have the whole people of the land and the greate&s;t part of the Mini&s;ters liable without any redre&s;&s;e, to the unju&s;t u&s;urpations, vexations, and cen&s;ure of &s;ome few Bi&s;hoppes: To have in great many parochiall Churches, a want of a profitable Mini&s;ter: To have in &s;ome of them either &s;eldome or no Preaching at all: in others, little or no maintenance: and in mo&s;t a di&s;proportionable maintenance: Be&s;ides the manifold altercations and quarrells about trifles and toyes, that our di&s;cipline is attended with: It was never heard that any man living under our neighbour Churches di&s;cipline was
<PB N="5" REF="3">
ever &s;o braine-&s;icke as to moove que&s;tions, whe|ther of the Table, Pulpit, and Font, de&s;erves more reverence and bowing at; or that their Synods or Con&s;i&s;tories made Canons and Con|&s;titutions about placing and rayling the Commu|nion Table: about Hoods and Surpli&s;&s;es, and &s;uch needle&s;&s;e orders, which bring rather &s;tri|ving then edifying. Since then our neighbour Churches di&s;cipline is obnoxious to le&s;&s;e di&s;or|ders, that a di&s;cipline be e&s;tabli&s;hed in <HI>England,</HI> that be approaching unto theirs, yet a &s;en&s;ible dif|ference kept betweene theirs and ours.</P>
<P N="4">IIII. That the Churches Di&s;cipline being e&s;ta|bli&s;hed, a Nationall <HI>Synod</HI> be convocated, that may frame a Confe&s;&s;ion of faith, to which may be called a competent number of <HI>Forraine</HI> Divines. However, &s;ince &s;o many have beene &s;o earne&s;t of late, to be in charity with the Roman Church, that they have beene uncharitable to the Refor|med Churches: Let Canons be made in the <HI>Sy|node,</HI> and an Act of Parliament for union with o|ther Prote&s;tant Churches in matter of Doctrine: and all the fire-brands of the&s;e late innovations in the Church, that have made us a laughpng &s;tocke to the neighbour Churches, be &s;harrcly cen&s;ured, if not cut off as banes of the Church, e&s;pecially the fir&s;t rai&s;ers of Altars, &s;uch as <HI>Hey|lin, Pocklington,</HI> and the like.</P>
<P N="5">V That in that Synod, if the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Liturgie bee retained, to the end it be received all over <HI>England</HI> without exceptions, it be reformed and repurged from many corruptions, and from a
<PB N="4" REF="4">
great deale of dro&s;&s;e among the gold, and the good matters that are therein contained, as it ap|peareth; Fir&s;t, in the vaine repetitions of the &s;ame thing. Secondly, in the uncouth expre&s;&s;i|ons, as the name of Epi&s;tle when it is Prophe&s;ie, and mi&s;aplying peeces of Scripture to the daies for which they are appointed. Thirdly, in the reading of the ridiculous &s;tories and fables of the Apocripha bookes, &s;uch are the Stories of <HI>Tobit</HI> and his dogge and the like. Fourthly, in the un&s;utablene&s;&s;e of many collects and prayers to the matter and intent they are prayed for: &s;uch are the Collect before the Ten Comman|dements, and the prayer for the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, <HI>O God Almighty that worke&s;t great mar|vels:</HI> which, if the words <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> and <HI>Curates</HI> be taken out, may be applyed to any purpo&s;e: And la&s;t of all, in the un&s;ound Doctrines; As that Sa|craments are ab&s;olutely, nece&s;&s;ary to &s;alvation, and that Infants have Faith in the per&s;on of their Godfathers and Godmothers, which is as much as to beleeve by a proxie or by an Atturney.</P>
<P N="6">VI. That in that Synod it be determined what Popery is, and Canons made where tho&s;e errours where of the people is with good rea&s;on affraid, be named and condemned.</P>
<P N="7">VII. That above all the holy doctrine of Iu&s;ti|fication by Faith only, which is the maine hinge of &s;alvation, bee &s;trongly e&s;tabli&s;hed by an e&s;pe|cial Canon according to the tenets of all Pro|te&s;tant Churches, which Canon be &s;worne and &s;ub&s;cribed unto, by all that have taken, and
<PB N="5" REF="4">
hereafter &s;hall take orders or Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall pro|motions. This being the greate&s;t plague of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> that many men dignified in the Church, and Ma&s;ters of Colledges, fellowes and Schollers in the Univer&s;itie, defend openly the ju&s;tification by workes, which is flat popery, and the ready way to bring in indulgences, au|ricular confe&s;&s;ion, Purgatory, and the tyranny of the Clergie over the con&s;ciences.</P>
<P N="8">VIII. That likewi&s;e the Doctrine of the Nece&s;|&s;itie and effecacy of the Sacraments, e&s;pecially of Bapti&s;me bee mainely and di&s;tinctly e&s;tabli|&s;hed and explained according to the Tenets of all the other reformed Churches; &s;ince it hath beene of late verie u&s;uall among our time&s;ervers, and tho&s;e Mini&s;ters that are as much taken with con|formitie as they love non-re&s;idencie and plura|litie of livings, to be enamoured with all the Po|pi&s;h and Arminians opinions, and to hold and teach Bapti&s;me of water to be of ab&s;olute nece&s;|&s;ity to be &s;aved; that it doth blot out &s;innes, and regenerate <HI>Ex Opere operato</HI> and <HI>vinudamactionis</HI> by the bare &s;trength of wa&s;hing; and workes nece&s;&s;arily in the Baptized partie, faith and the habit of true &s;anctification; and have grounded their poy&s;onous Tenets upon &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages of the Liturgie that were not da&s;ht out&punc; nor expla|ned by the reformers of the Roman brevlarie in King <HI>Edwards</HI> daies; As be the words in the Cate|chi&s;me, <HI>The Children Bapti&s;ed have all things nece&s;|ary to &s;alvation, and are undoubtedly &s;aved.</HI> And in
<PB N="8" REF="5">
The Prayer after Bapti&s;me, where thankes is given to God <HI>for regenerating the Infant with his holy &s;pirit.</HI> Since then &s;uch places have beene a &s;tumbling blocke to weake ones, and have given faire opportunity of erring to malicious &s;pirits, that in the task expected of reforming the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Liturgie, they be corrected and amended.</P>
<P N="9">IX. That bowing before of the Communi|on Table, or toward the Ea&s;t, bee forbidden un|der the puni&s;hment of deprivation of benificed men and expul&s;ion of Schollers out of the Col|leges, and the Communion Table be kept in the Ve&s;tery and removed from the eyes of the people but in the time of the Communion, to avoid the creeping idolatry.</P>
<P N="10">X. That the Crucifixe in a peece of hanging and other &s;uper&s;tious figures which &s;ometimes in the yeare are &s;et over the Communion Table of many Churches and Chappells, bee removed and aboli&s;hed; and that the Authors or renew|ers of that &s;uper&s;tition be &s;everely puni&s;hed.</P>
<P N="11">XI. That the authors of Popi&s;h and Armi|nian bookes bee called in que&s;tion, and that the plea&s;ure of our late Soveraigne King <HI>James</HI> of ble&s;&s;ed Memory, be executed, who &s;ent his Di|vines to the <HI>Synode</HI> of <HI>Dort,</HI> that the Church of <HI>England</HI> afterwards &s;hould be bound by the de|ci&s;ions made there, and that Canons be made con|formable to the determination of our Divines in that <HI>Synod.</HI></P>
<P N="12"><PB N="7" REF="5">
XII. That if Bi&s;hops are thought fit to be re|tained, there be no more &s;uch di&s;tance betweene a Bi&s;hop and an ordinary Mini&s;ter; and that Bi|&s;hops be no more called Lords, and that they be enjoyned to preach diligently, as is the duty of their place and office.</P>
<P N="13">XIII. That if &s;ome of them &s;it in Parliament, it bee upon Wool-Sacks, and have no more privi|ledges by their office and places then the Iudges, the Lord Keeper and Trea&s;urer: and that a cer|taine number of Deputies from the Nationall <HI>Synod,</HI> whether Bi&s;hops or other, bee a&s;&s;i&s;ting both in the higher Hou&s;e and lower Hou&s;e, for delivering their advices upon any clau&s;es of Acts, that may entrench upon the Churches privi|ledges, or are contrary to Doctrine or good man|ners.</P>
<P N="15">XV. That the principall defect of our Di&s;ci|pline, and the &s;pring of all errours in Doctrine and Practice, which is the want of <HI>Synods,</HI> bee mended &amp; hereafter all Vi&s;itations of Bi&s;hops be <HI>Synods,</HI> as by right they ought to bee, and accor|ding to the ancient Con&s;titution, as it appeareth by the <HI>Synodalls</HI> which Mini&s;ters pay in every Vi&s;itation, and that at <HI>Synods</HI> all Pari&s;h Mini&s;ters be &s;itting and covered, &amp; have their voyce in the di&s;cu&s;&s;ing of the affaires of the Dioce&s;&s;e, and ma|king orders which may not afterwards be altered by the Bi&s;hops, but onely by the Nationall or Metropolitical <HI>Synod,</HI> which for the publike Uni|on, is to bee kept once every two yeares, neither
<PB N="8" REF="6">
was ever the Church of late without <HI>Synods,</HI> but but in <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P N="16">XVI. That be&s;ides nationall Synods there be provinciall Synode convocated in each Dioce&s;&s;e once a yeare; and that every moneth there bee a meeting of Mini&s;ters within the Precinct of &s;ixe or &s;even neighbour pari&s;hes through the whole Dioce&s;&s;e; to which the fir&s;t citations, complaints and proce&s;&s;es within that precinct be carried, and in which the incident controver&s;ies without fur|ther delay be compo&s;ed, and that what &s;oever is judged within that precinct bee cen&s;urable againe by the provinciall Synode of the Dioce&s;&s;e, and that onely cau&s;es of high moment, as deci|ding controve&s;ies of faith, and matters which doth concerne the whole nation bee removed from the the Provinciall Synod to the Natio|nall.</P>
<P N="17">XVII. That the election of Pre&s;idents, A&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ors, and other members of the Nationall Sy|node, be in the power of the Deputies, whether Bi&s;hops or others, appointed for that purpo&s;e by each re&s;pective Provinciall Synod: And that in Provinciall Synods the election of them, bee in the power of the Presbyterie within each Dioce&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="18">XVIII. That the pre&s;entment of cau&s;es and per&s;ons to the Nationall Synod bee made by the Bi&s;hop of the Dioce&s;&s;e&punc;g</P>
<P N="19">XIX. That in every Presbyteriall meeting within the Precinct of neighbour Pari&s;hes the
<PB N="9" REF="6">
Bi&s;hop &s;hall have power to a&s;&s;i&s;t in his owne per|&s;on or by a Commi&s;&s;ioner of his, and have his voyce as others.</P>
<P N="20">XX. That the citations and pre&s;entments from the&s;e Presbyteriall meetings to the Pro|vinciall Synod beenot made without the know|ledge of the Pari&s;h Mini&s;ter, who ought to pre|&s;ent the delinquent, and have his voyce in the cen&s;ure.</P>
<P N="21">XXI. That the Bi&s;hop be cen&s;urable by the Synod, whether it be provinciall or nationall, and that it bee no more in the power of Bi&s;hops to impo&s;e what they plea&s;e upon the Clergie with &s;uch rigorous penaltie as they have lately u&s;ed for the oath of the &s;ixth Canon.</P>
<P N="22">XXII. That the power of Ordination bee not &s;tronger in Bi&s;hoppes then in other Mini|&s;ters.</P>
<P N="23">XXIII. That no Scholler &s;hall enter into the holy Mini&s;trie without a certificate from the Vniver&s;itie, and from the Pari&s;h wherein he hath beene commorant of his life and Doctrine, and without further triall and examination of his gifts and learning and &s;oundne&s;&s;e in Doctrine by &s;ixe Mini&s;ters, or at lea&s;t fiue, and that none &s;hall be ordained Mini&s;ters except pre&s;ently up|on he is to be inve&s;ted with a Cure of Soules.</P>
<P N="24">XXIIII. That Mini&s;ter bee ordained at lea&s;t foure times in the yeare, and that a record bee kept of the Pari&s;hes void of Mini&s;trie, that in the time of Ordination they may be &s;upplyed accordingly.</P>
<P N="25"><PB N="10" REF="7">
XXV. That it be lawfull for Students in Di|vinity and having good report, to Preach, but not to exerci&s;e any other part of Mini&s;teriall function, to the end they may exerci&s;e their parts, and give a ta&s;t of their abilities to the flocke.</P>
<P N="26">XXVI. That afore they be permitted to Preach in publique, they be exerci&s;ed in private by way of Sermons to handle and expound the word of God before the neighbour Mini&s;ters where they are co~morant, or before the heads of the Col|ledge where they are members; And that their Sermon ended, the matter and manner of their handling the word be cen&s;ured and examined by tho&s;e Mini&s;ters that are pre&s;ent.</P>
<P N="27">XXVII. That another cour&s;e bee taken for maintaining Mini&s;ters and Bi&s;hops, then that of Tyths, which are the cau&s;e of endle&s;&s;e &s;uits be|tweene the Mini&s;ter and the Pari&s;hioners, the Patron and incumbent, keepe the Mini&s;ter from his Church, while he followes &s;uites in <HI>London,</HI> and bring the holy Mini&s;try into obloquy &amp; con|tempt. But an honorable competent propor|tion bee appointed for the maintenance of each Pari&s;h Mini&s;ters by the Pari&s;hioners, and rated by the Parliament or Synod, and that the di|&s;tinctions of Deane, Arch-deacon, Per&s;on, Cu|rat, Vicar, and Reader bee taken away, but let them be coequalls, and more or le&s;&s;e in number in one Pari&s;h, according to the greatne&s;&s;e or wealth of the Pari&s;h.</P>
<P N="28">XXVIII. That as Bi&s;hops in height of Iuri&s;|diction
<PB N="11" REF="7">
and place, by act are to bee &s;hortned, &s;o an act be made that from henceforth, all ordina|ry Mini&s;ters, which are too much vilified, &s;hall have more re&s;pect and honour then heretofore was given unto them, and that of well de&s;erving Schollers, the Mini&s;ters &s;onnes bee preferred to the fellow&s;hips of Colledges.</P>
<P N="29">XXIX. That the power of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Keyes, &s;uch as belongs to Bi&s;hops and Mini&s;ters, be re&s;tored unto them, according to the ancient con&s;titutions of the primitive Churches: and that there bee no cen&s;ure pa&s;t upon the Clergie or people from Synod, Bi&s;hop or Presbyterie, but &s;uch as is Spirituall, and that the u&s;uall penal|ties of impri&s;onment and fine be rendred againe to the right owner, <HI>viz.</HI> to the civill Magi&s;trate, and the commutations of bodily penance into pecuniarie, and the abu&s;e of excommunication, and the Oath <HI>Ex officio</HI> aboli&s;hed.</P>
<P N="30">XXX. That the Clergie of the Dioce&s;&s;e; &s;hall choo&s;e their owne Bi&s;hop, or pre&s;ent to the Kings Maje&s;tie two, who may choo&s;e of them whom he plea&s;eth: and that every Pari&s;h be Patron of its Pari&s;h, and have the pre&s;entati|on of as many Mini&s;ters, as the flocke requireth, to the Synod or Bi&s;hop.</P>
<P N="28">XXVIII. That Bi&s;hops be more in number and their Dioce&s;&s;es of le&s;&s;e extent then hitherto it hath beene.</P>
<P N="31">XXXI. That in &s;tead of Chancellors, Of|ficers, Apparitours, Regi&s;ters, and &s;uch like Gra&s;hoppers, there bee &s;ome Lay-elders, that
<PB N="12" REF="8">
may &s;it in Provinciall Synods, and have their voyce in matters of Di&s;cipline and Church-go|verment, and that in Nationall Synods, there be &s;ome Laymen likewi&s;e appointed by the Parlia|ment.</P>
<P N="32">XXXII. That a better cour&s;e be taken for pro|viding for the poore, and that both Mini&s;ters and Chiefe of the Pari&s;h bee over&s;eeing, how Church-Wardens doe di&s;po&s;e of the Church-Trea&s;ury, and that they bee not permitted under crime of Sacrilege to &s;pend it upon them|&s;elves, and that every moneth they give an ac|count of what&s;oever is received and laid out.</P>
<P N="33">XXXIII. That the griping of Church-duties and buriall-co&s;ts, exacted oftner more rigorou&s;|ly of the poore then the rich, be re&s;trained, and that the Mini&s;ter bee contented with his yearely Salary, performing all the branches of his cal|ling, as baptizing, burying, vi&s;iting the &s;icke without any further recompence, but &s;uch as is tendered to him.</P>
<P N="24">XXIIII. That the Fountains of Learning, <HI>Cam|bridge</HI> and <HI>Oxford,</HI> be purged from &s;uper&s;titious Rites and Popi&s;h doctrines, and Orthodoxe Rea|ders be provided.</P>
<P N="35">XXXV. That no publique Vniver&s;itie readers be admitted, but &s;uch as are either allowed or na|med by the Nationall Synod, or &s;uch as out of the Convocation of the Natioall Synod are pre|&s;ented to the Kings Maje&s;tie by the heads of the Univer&s;ity and afterwards approved by the next in&s;uing nationall Synod.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="8">
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