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<ETS>
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<DATE>2014-03-20</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140219.apex.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B21872">
<STC T="W">E1163</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]12114515</BIBNO>
<VID>197013</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P> ACTS FOR The utter aboli&s;hing of Bi&s;hops out of the Churches of ENGLAND and SCOTLAND.</P>
<P>WITH A Motion to the Hou&s;e for the Order for Church-Government by a better Way.</P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for <HI>Thomas Wat&s;on.</HI> 1643.</P>
<PB REF="2">
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="act">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>The Act of the generall A&s;&s;embly in Scotland for the aboli&s;hing of Bi&s;hops in that Kingdome.</HEAD>
<P>THe Kings Maje&s;tie having declared, that it is his Royall will and plea&s;ure, that all que&s;tions about Religion and and matters eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, be detetmined by the Church: having al&s;o by publique Proclamation indicted this free Nationall A&s;&s;embly, for &s;etling the pre&s;ent di&s;tractions of this Church; and for e&s;tabli&s;hing a perfect peace, again&s;t &s;uch divi&s;i|ous and di&s;cords, as have been &s;ore di&s;plea&s;ing to his Maje&s;tie, and grievous to all his Maje&s;ties good &s;ubjects, And now his Maje|&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ioner <HI>Iohn E.</HI> of <HI>Traquair,</HI> in&s;tructed and authori|zed with<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s full Commi&s;&s;ion, being pre&s;ent and &s;itting in this A&s;|&s;embly, now fully conveened and orderly con&s;titute, in all the members thereof, according to the order of this Church, having at large declared his Maje&s;ties xeal to the reformed Religion; and his Koyall care, and tender affection to this Church; (where his Maje&s;tie had both his Birth and Bapti&s;me) his great di&s;plea&s;ure at the manifold di&s;tractions and divi&s;ions of this Church and King|dome, and his de&s;ire to have all our wounds perfectly cured, with a faire and fatherly hand. And although in the way approved by this Church, tryall hath bin taken in former A&s;&s;emblies before from the Church Regi&s;ters to our full &s;atisfaction. Yet the Com|mi&s;&s;ioner making a particular inquirie, from the Members of the A&s;&s;embly now &s;olemnly conveened concerning the reall and true cau&s;es, of &s;o many and great evils at this time pa&s;t, and &s;o &s;ore troubling the peace of the Church and Kingdome. It was repre|&s;ented to his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ioner by this A&s;&s;embly, that be|&s;ides many other, the main and mo&s;t materiall cau&s;es were.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="2" REF="3" MS="y">
<HEAD>Rea&s;ons from the A&s;&s;embly for the change of Church-government.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1 THe pre&s;&s;ing of this Church by Prelates with a Service-book, or Book of Common-Prayer, without direction or warrant ftom the Church, and containing be&s;ides the popi&s;h frame thereof, divers popi&s;h errors and Ceremonies; and the &s;eeds of manifold gro&s;&s;e &s;uper&s;titions and Idolatrie: with a Book of Canons, without warrant or direction from the generall a&s;&s;em|bly, e&s;tabli&s;hing a tyrannicall power over the Church in the per|&s;on of Bi&s;hop; and overthrowing the whole di&s;cipline and go|vernment of the Church by a&s;&s;emblies: with a Book of con&s;e|cration and Ordination, without warrant of authority civill or eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, appointing offices in the hou&s;e of God, which are not wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ranted by the word of God, and repugnant to the Di&s;ci|pline and Acts of our Church: with the Commi&s;&s;icn erected without the con&s;ent of the Church, &s;ubverting the Jurisdiction and ordinarie Judicatories of this Church; and giving to per&s;ons meerly Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall the power of both Swords; and to per|&s;ons meerly civill, the power of the Keyes and Church Cen|&s;ures.</P>
<P N="2">2. A &s;econd cau&s;e was the Articles of <HI>Perth. viz.</HI> Ob&s;er|vation of Fe&s;tivall dayes, kneeling at the Communion, Confir|mation, Admini&s;tration of the Sacraments in private places, which were brought in by a civill A&s;&s;embly; and are contrary to the confe&s;&s;ion of faith 1590 as it was meant and &s;ub&s;cribed in <HI>Anno.</HI> 1580. and divers times &s;ince to the order and con&s;tituti|on of this Church.</P>
<P N="3">3. A third cau&s;e was, the change of the Government of the Church, from the A&s;&s;emblies of the Church to the per&s;ons of Church-men, u&s;urping the priority and power over their bre|thren by the way, and under the name of Epi&s;copall govern|ment again&s;t the confe&s;&s;ion&punc; <HI>Anno.</HI> 1580. Again&s;t the order &s;et down in the book of policy, and again&s;t the intentions and Con|&s;titutions of this Church from the beginning.</P>
<P N="4">4. A fourth cau&s;e was the civill places and power of Church men, their &s;itting in Se&s;&s;ion; Coun&s;ell, and Exchequer, their rid|ding, &s;itting and voting in Parliament; and their &s;itting in the Bench as Ju&s;tices of Peace, which according to the con&s;titutions
<PB N="3" REF="3"> of the Church are incompatible with their &s;pirituall function, do tend to the hindrance of the Mini&s;try.</P>
<P>A fifth cau&s;e was, the keeping and authorizing of corrupt A&s;|&s;emblies at <HI>Linlithgow</HI> 1606. 1608. at <HI>Gla&s;gow</HI> 1610. at <HI>Aber|dene</HI> 1616. at S. <HI>Andrews</HI> 1617. at <HI>Perth</HI> 1618. which are all null and unlawful, as being called and con&s;titute quite contrary to the order and con&s;titutions of this Church received &amp; practi&s;ed ever &s;ince the reformation of Religion, &amp; labouring to introduce inno|vations in this Church, again&s;t the order &amp; religion e&s;tabli&s;hed.</P>
<P>A &s;ixt cau&s;e was, the want of lawfull and free generall A&s;&s;em|blies, rightly con&s;titute of Pa&s;tors, Doctors and Elders yeerly or oftner <HI>pro re nata,</HI> according to the liberty of this Church, expre&s;&s;ed in the <HI>Book of Policy,</HI> and acknowledged in the Act of Parliament 1592. Which his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ioner having heard patiently; and examined particularly; all objections to the contrary being an&s;wered to the full. The whole A&s;&s;embly with expre&s;&s;e con&s;ent of his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ioner, in one heart and voice did declare, that the&s;e and &s;uch other proceedings, from the neglect and breach of the <HI>Nationall Covenant</HI> of this Church &amp; Kingdom made in <HI>An.</HI> 1580. have been indeed the true and main cau&s;e of all our evils and di&s;tractions; and therefore ordains, ac|cording to the con&s;titutions of the generall A&s;&s;emblies of this Church, and upon the grounds re&s;pective above-&s;pecified, that the fore&s;aid <HI>Service-Booke, Book of Canons and Ordination,</HI> and <HI>High Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> be rejected &s;till&punc; that the <HI>Articles of Perth</HI> be no more practi&s;ed: that Epi&s;copall government and the civill places and power of Church-men be holden &s;till as unlawfull in this Church: that the above-named pretended A&s;&s;emblies at <HI>Lin|lithgow</HI> 1606&punc; 1608. at <HI>Gla&s;gow</HI> 1610. an <HI>Aberden</HI> 1616. at S. <HI>Andrews</HI> 1617. at <HI>Perth</HI> 1618. be hereafter accounted as null and of none effect; and that for pre&s;ervation of Religion, and preventing all &s;uch evils in time coming, <HI>Generall A&s;&s;emblies</HI> rightly con&s;titute, as the perfect and compent Judge of all mat|ters Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall hereafter be kept yeerly, and oftener, as occa|&s;ion and nece&s;&s;ity &s;hall require, the nece&s;&s;ity being fir&s;t remon|&s;trate to his Maje&s;ty by humble &s;upplication; as al&s;o of the&s;e oc|ca&s;ionall A&s;&s;emblies, that Church-Se&s;&s;ions, Presbyteries, and Synodall A&s;&s;emblies, con&s;titute and ordained according to the <HI>Book of Policies,</HI> and con&s;titutions of this Church, be al&s;o here|after kept as occa&s;ion and nece&s;&s;ity &s;hall require.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="4" REF="4">
<HEAD>The Heads of the Bill in Parliament for aboli&s;hing of Bi&s;hops in ENGLAND.</HEAD>
<P>VVHereas the government of the Church of <HI>England</HI> by Archbi&s;hops, Bi&s;hops, Chancellours and Com|mi&s;&s;aries, Deanes, Archdeacons, and other their Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Officers, hath been found by long experience to be a great impediment to the perfect reformation and growth of Religion, It is therefore enacted from henceforth there &s;hall be no Archbi&s;hops, Bi&s;hops, &amp;c, or any their Officers within this Church and Kingdome: and that if any per&s;on &s;hall take upon him to exerci&s;e any &s;uch Office, he &s;hall incurre a <HI>Prae|munire</HI> according to the Statute of 16. <HI>Ric.</HI> 2. And that all Man|nors, Lands, Rectories, Impropriations, Hou&s;es, Rents, Services, and other Hereditaments what&s;oever of the &s;aid Archbi&s;hops. Bi|&s;hops, Deans, Deacons and Chapters, Archdeacons, Prebendaries, Canons, and Pettie-Canons, which they or any of them have in the right of the &s;aid Churches and dignities, &s;hall be di&s;po&s;ed of and ordered in &s;uch manner and form as the Kings mo&s;t excellent Ma|je&s;ty, the Lords Temporall and Commons &s;hall appoint. And it is therein further enacted, that all Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Iuri&s;diction fit to be exerci&s;ed in the Church and Kingdome of <HI>England,</HI> &s;hall be committed to &s;uch a number of per&s;ons, and in &s;uch manner as by this pre&s;ent Parliament &s;hall be appointed.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<HEAD>A Motion to the Hou&s;e concerning Church Government.</HEAD>
<P>EVery &s;everall Shire of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Wales,</HI> to be a &s;everall Circuit or Dioce&s;&s;e, for the Ecle&s;ia&s;ticall Iuri&s;diction, excepting <HI>Yorke&s;hire,</HI> which is to be divided into three.</P>
<P N="2">2. A con&s;tant Presbyterie of twelve choi&s;e Divines to be &s;elected in every Shire or Dioce&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. A con&s;tant Pre&s;ident to be e&s;tabli&s;hed over this Presbyterie.</P>
<P N="4">4. This Pre&s;ident in each Dioce&s;&s;e to ordain, &s;u&s;pend, deprive, degrade, Excommunicate, by and with the con&s;ent and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of &s;even Divines of his Presbytery then pre&s;ent and not otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P N="5">5. The times of ordination throughout the land to be foure times every yeare, <HI>viz,</HI> the fir&s;t of <HI>May,</HI> the fir&s;t of <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> the fir&s;t of <HI>November,</HI> and the fir&s;t of <HI>February.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. Every Pre&s;ident con&s;tantly to re&s;ide within his Di|oce&s;&s;e, in &s;ome one prime or chiefe City or Towne with in his Dioce&s;&s;e, as in particular.</P>
<P N="7">7. Every Pre&s;ident to have one &s;peciall particular con|gregation, to be cho&s;en out of the mo&s;t convenient for di&s;tance of place, from his chiefe re&s;idence, and the rich|e&s;t in value that may be had, where he &s;hall duely preach unle&s;&s;e he be lawfully hindered, and then he &s;hall take care that his cure be well &s;upplyed by another.</P>
<P N="8">8. No Pre&s;ident &s;hall remove o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> be tran&s;lated from the Presbytery which he &s;hall fir&s;t undertake.</P>
<P N="9">9. Vpon every death, or other avoidance of a pre&s;i|dent, the King to grant a <HI>Conge d'elire</HI> to the whole Cler|gy of that Dioce&s;&s;e, and they to pre&s;ent three of the Pre&s;|byters afore&s;aid, and the King to choo&s;e and nominate whom he plea&s;e of them.</P>
<P N="10"><PB N="6" REF="5"> 10. The fir&s;t Presbyters of every Shire to be named by the Parliament, and afterwards upon the death of any Presbyter, the remayning Presbyter to chu&s;e another out of the Pari&s;h Mini&s;ters of that Shire, and this to bee done within one month after &s;uch death or avoidance.</P>
<P N="11">11 No Pre&s;ident or Clergie-man to exerci&s;e or have any <HI>Temporall Office,</HI> or <HI>&s;ecular employmwnt,</HI> but only, for the pre&s;ent, to hold and keepe the probate of wills, untill the Parliament &s;hall otherwi&s;e re&s;olve.</P>
<P N="12">12. The Pre&s;ident once a year (at Mid&s;ummer) to &s;ummon a <HI>Dioce&s;an Synod,</HI> there to heare and by generall vote, to determine all &s;uch matter of &s;candall in Life and Doctrine among the Clergie-men, as &s;hall be pre&s;ented unto them.</P>
<P N="13">13. Every three yeares, a <HI>Nationall Synod to be,</HI> which for per&s;ons &s;hall con&s;i&s;t of all the Pre&s;idents in the Land and of two Presbiters to be cho&s;en by the re&s;t out of each Presbitery, and of two <HI>Clerkes</HI> to be cho&s;en out of every Dioces, by the <HI>Clergie</HI> thereof.</P>
<P N="14">14. This <HI>Nationall Synod</HI> to make and ordaine <HI>Canons</HI> of the <HI>Governement</HI> of the <HI>Church,</HI> but they not to binde untill tey be confirmed by Parliament.</P>
<P N="15">15. Every Pre&s;ident over and above the benefice afore&s;aid, a certaine con&s;tant rent allowed and allotted proportionall to the Dioce&s;&s;e wherein he is to officiate, that is to &s;ay, every Presbyter to have a con&s;tant yearely profit above his benefice.</P>
<P N="16">16. As for the revenue of the Bi&s;hops, Deanes, and Chap|ters, &amp;c. a &s;trict &s;urvey to be taken of all their rents and profits, and the &s;ame to be repre&s;ented at the beginning of our next con|vention, and in the mean time no Lea&s;e to be renewed, nor tim|ber to be felled.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
