Englands complaint to Iesus Christ, against the bishops canons of the late sinfull synod, a seditious conuenticle, a packe of hypocrites, a sworne confederacy, a traiterous conspiracy ... In this complaint are specified those impieties and insolencies, which are most notorious, scattered through the canons and constitutions of the said sinfull synod. And confuted by arguments annexed hereunto.

The Sixt Canon: An Oath injoyn'd for the preventing of all Innovations in Doctrine and Government.

Ah Lord, here is the filling up of the measure of all iniquity, 〈…〉〈…〉 ol all cruelty and tyranny. When they have brought their plots to passe, when established and setled their Innovations both in Doctrine and Government, then these hypocrites come with 〈…〉〈…〉 for the preventing of all Innovations in Doctrine and Government. This for the Title of the Canon. And that they may exalt their hypocrisie to the height, that it may appeare to all men, they further say: This Present Synod being desirous to de∣clare their sincerity and Constanc•• in the profession of the Doctrine and 〈…〉〈…〉 in the Church of England, and to secure all then against any suspicion of ••••volt to Popery, or any other Supersti∣tion.) Decr••es, &c. Now, Lord, can the hypocrisie of Rome it selfe in that Mystery of Iniquity, packed up in the Councel of Trent, surpasse this notorious hypocrisie of our English Prelates in this their Synod? The vaile of their soule hypocriste is the pretence of Sincerity, and Constancie in the profession of the Doctrine and Dis∣••••••ine already established: they have now already established a new Doctrine and Discipline in the Church of England, and so they are desirous to declare their Sincerity and Constancie in the professi∣on of the same. O holy Lord, who is able to deale with these impious hypocrites, but thy selfe alone? And now that they have ••••tained their ends in a good measure (for they do not meane to stay here, till they have finished the Tower of Babel to its full height, by degrees, after a while) they doe this to secure all men against any Suspicion of revolt to Popery, or any other Superstition. For when the Revolt to Popery and the Superstitions thereof, is now in a good measure already made, then would they have all men to be secure against any revolt to Popery. But what need men to feare, when the danger is already past, and without re∣medie? They have set up their Altars; they gently intreat ado∣ration thereunto, and that by the same arguments that Papists use to colour over such Idolatry, till they have learne•• in fuller termes to expresse themselves with a We will and Command: they have set up their Images, and Crucifixes in Chappels and Ca∣thedralls, and that over the Altar; for all other Churches to con∣forme thereunto; they have published Bookes in English full of most grosse Romish Idolatry and Supers••tion; they have cryed

down the due Sanctification of the Christian Sabbath-day, and have layd open the s••••dg••tes to all pro••anesse to breake in, by publike ••••••spensation of profane Sports and Pastimes, that so they make the Lords day the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 day; and to make way for such profane Sports, they have universally forbid all preaching in the ••••••ernoones upon thy Holy Day; they have made thy holy Com∣mandment for the keeping and Sanctifying of thy Day of none effect, and that not onely by their profane practises, but profes∣sedly by their Book's published by Authority; they have by Edicts made the Articles of R••••••••gion of the Church of England con∣cerning Grace to be of none authority: they have set forth * 1.1 Books, wherein they professe that the Church of England, and of Rome the whore of Babylon are one and the Same Church, professing one and the same Faith and Religion; and goe about to Father the Antichristian Iurisdict••••••n and Government of Prelates, upon the Divin ••••••ution, and upon the practise of thy holy Apostles; and doe cry down the Authority of thy Sacred word, as an insufficient witnesse to prove it selfe the word of ••od, and as a dead and dumbe judge and insufficient to determine doubt and Controversies in points of Faith, and so doe set up 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Authority above the Scripture; they have cast out all, or most of those godly and painfull Mi∣no••••ers of thy word, which were as so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lights, and pillars in the house of our God, because they stood in the gappe, and in the way of these men, to hinder their wicked attempts in over∣throwing of all true Religoon; and if any good Ministers be yet left, that have escaped their fingers, here is a hellish plot will hurle them all out at a clappe: these with many other their Inn•• vations they having now brought to passe, now, now would they have all men to be secure against any revolt to Popery Now they declare their constancie and Sincerity in the Doctrine and Dis∣cipline established.

And hereupon they proceed to their Synodicall Decree saying,

This present Synod decrees, that all Archbishops, and Bi∣shops, and all other Priests and Deacons in places exempt or not exempt, shall take an 〈◊〉〈◊〉 against all Inn••vations of Doctrine or Discipline. And the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 I, A. B. doe sweare, that I doe ap∣prove the Doctrine and Discipline, or Government established in the Church of England, as containing all things necessary to Salvation: And that I will not indeavour by my selfe, or any other, directly, or indirectly, to bring in m•• Popish Doctrine, contrary to that which is so established: Nor will I ever give my assent to alter the Govern∣ment of this Church, by Archbishops, Bishops, Deanes, and Arch∣deacons,

&c. as it stands now established, and as by right it ought to stand, nor yet ever to Subject it to the usurpation, and Superstitions of the Sea of Rome, &c.

And if any shall refuse to take this Oath, after the first moneth, he shalbe suspended from his Ministry: after the second moneth, from his Ministry and Benefice: and after the third moneth, deprived of all his Ecclesiasticall promotions whatsoever, and execution of his function which he holds in the Church of England. And so this Oath extends to all Graduates in Divinity, Masters of Graduates, or licensed practitioners in Law and Physicke, all Registers, Actuaries, Proctors, Schoolmasters, all that enter into the Ministry, or into a Benefice, &c.

Thus Lord, it is not suffi•••••• for these men to alter both the Doctrine, and Discipline of the Church of England (as aforesaid) and to make the Discipline and Government of Prelates more An∣tichristian, then it was before, by adding a new claime of Di∣vine Authority to their Antichristian Iurisa••ction, blasphemoully fatheri••g it upon thee: but they must have all this Sealed with an Oath of all such Persons, as aforesaid, that so by so many condu•••• pipes, the whole Land may be poysoned, and at once universally enthralled under a most miserable bondage. And now subscription (which were too much, and against all Law and Conscience) is not sufficient. For all Ministers, and others of any degree forementioned, must sweare to the ratifying of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Articles of Religion, as aforesaid: to the setting up and bowing to Altars, with all the other Ceremonies and Innovations about them: to the maintaining of an Anti chri∣stian Tyranny exercised by the Prelates, under the name of Christ and his Apostles: and so in Summe, they must become Sworne vassals to these Tyrants, and Sworne Enemies to thy Majesty and Kingly Soveraignty, to thy word and Scepter, to their owne Salvation, and the Salvation of thy people, and so proclaime themselves to all the world, the most base and vile Slaves, that ever the earth bred. Yea the most of them (such especially as know anything; and this time of light admits of no plea for ignorance in any man) must of necessity (if at all they take this Oath) Sweare against their own Consciences, and so in no small degree sin against the Holy Ghost; whereby their Sin becomes unpardonable, when once their Conscience is ••eared to impe∣nitencie and their selfe-damnation sealed up to destruction. Besides all this, if they looke upon temporall respects, are they sure the King of this Land will be alwayes of the mind, to

maintain and continue such an Hierarchie? What, if God should be pleased in mercy to hi•• Church, to open the eyes of the King, to let him see now he and his State is abused by this Generation of Prelates, so as to ••••ot them out? Againe, though the Office o•• Kings be ••••mortall, yet their persons are not: another King may succeed that is of another m••••d. And above all this, we be∣leeve, ô Lord, that the intolerable outrages, and high flown presumptions of these Prelates against thee, and thy Church, and against the whole State of the Land, are most certaine, cleare, and immediate forerunners of their most fearefull ruine. And therefore, let thy feare, ô Lord, be upon all thy Ministers and People of the Land at this time, and let thy grace be sufficient for them, to arme them with a holy courage, zeale, magnanimity, un∣daunted constant res••••tion to stand out in a Christian defiance against this most damnable and desperate Oath, least the taking of it bring certaine wrath upon the takers, as the making and imposing of it shall certainly bring upon the makers and impo∣sers of it, to their utterdestruction. But (alas!) ô Lord, have not these Prelates already made way for an unwer••all admittance of this their Cursed Oath? For where is fearce one good Minister left, of a true bred masculine Spirit, whom these men have not rid out of the way? And those that be left, are they not for the most part such as either preferre the fleshpots of Aegypt before Canaan? Or such, as have already de••••led their Consciences with ab••sing their Ministry to the publick obeying of wicked Com∣mands of these their great Masters? as in the publick reading the Booke of profane Sports on the Lords day: forbearing to preach in the Afternoones: admitting of Altars in their Churches: and perhaps bowing unto them: not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to preach freely the Doctrines of Grace, to the strengthening of the faith of Gods people, and inflaming their love towards God as the 17th Article saith) and to the confounding of the enemies of Grace, and that cursed Faction, that now raign∣eth? So as Ministers, having universally defiled their Consciences, and abased their Ministry in these things (for such as refused, are already cast out) are already prepared and sitted to doe any other base•• service, that these their Masters shall command, their Conscience being by this time made wide enough to swallow downe this monstrous and damnable Oath, which could not possibly have been forged in any other Shop, but in hell it selfe, not by any other workmen, but by Devils themselves in the likenesse of men. But, ô Lord, thou who* 1.2 onely art able to keep 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thine from saking, and to ••••reserve them faultlesse before the presence

of thy glory with joy; who* 1.3 wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose ••••nd is stayd on thee; because he trusteth in thee: if thou hast a rem∣nant left, which have not received the marke of the Beast, but have kept their garments pure; or if any, who through feare or humane frailty have abased themselves in any of the things a∣foresaid: restore them by repentance, and establish them all by thy Grace, that they may so stand for thy Truth and their Salva∣tion here, as they may one day stand undaunted before the Son of Man at his appearing.

And further we note out of the words of the Oath, That they are to Sweare they doe approve the Doctrine and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 line established in the Church of England, as containing all things necessary to Salvati∣on. Now will they say, that the Discipline, or Government of the Church of England containeth any thing necessary to Salvation, seeing herein they joyne it with Doctrine, as containing together all things necessary to Salvation? Nay, is not the Discipline and Go∣vernment, any enemy to Salvation, seeing it is altogether Anti∣christian, Tyrannicall, and a meere usurpation, and in the whole practise of it, and in all the Rites and Ceremonies, against the word of God, and against the Doctrine and Practise of the Apo∣stles, and a most notorious and pestilent persecuter of the true Saints and Servants of God, and a rooter out of all true Religion and godlinesse out of the Land. Is it not Antichristian, and usurp∣ing Christs Throne and Soveraignty over the Consciences of his People, which is expresly and directly contrary to the Apostles Doctrine, so as the subjection thereunto is clearely proved by the‡ 1.4 Apostle to be a denying of Christ, and so a loosing of Sal∣vation? And for the Doctrine of the Church of England, how can it be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation, when the most principall Articles of Saving Grace are made of none effect, and are forbidden to be preached to the people? And suppose all the 39 Articles were intire, and not corrupted, but preserved in their true sense, agreeing with Scripture (as‡ 1.5 some of them are not) yet they cannot be sayd to containe all things necessary to Salvation. For onely the holy Scripture, which is the onely ad. quate Rule of Faith, containeth all things necessary to Salvation, it being a cleare Commentary and exposition of it selfe, and a Rule whereby to try all humane writings of Divinity whatsoever. Thus the matter of the Oath it selfe is most false, and blasphemous, which with all the rest we referre to thy judgement, ô Lord.

Againe, A man must sweare, not to bring in any Popish Doctrine, ••n••rary to that which is so established. We conceive this to be no

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Church. Secondly, for Bishops, we find the name indeed in 〈◊〉〈◊〉∣ture, but not a Diocesan Bishop, but such a one, as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a particular Congregation, to feed the flocke of God, as thy* 1.6 〈◊〉〈◊〉 teacheth. And we find Deacons also, but no Archdeacons. And to set Archdeacons over Presbyters, is not onely an incoug••••ity and disorder, and so not right, as it ought to be: but also a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Antichristian guise and usurpation. As for Deanes, they are of a later institution. And as for Archbishops, they confesse, that the Apo••••es were all equall; how come they then to be superiour to other Diocesan Bishops, who claime to be the Apostles success •••• By this reckoning, an Archbishop should have been superiour to the Apostl••s. So as this Archiepiscopall Government, stands not rightly established, as being in a more Superlative degree Anti∣christian, then ordinary Bishops; nor can he with them shift or put off their Government to be Antichristian and Papall, the Me∣tropolitan of all England being that over England, which the Pope challengeth to be over the Church Catholicke. And that the present Arch-Prelate carries himselfe as the Pope of England, whose Canon is a Law, let but this wicked Synod witnesse, whereof he is the Papall President, and this Papall Oath withall, which is drawn up and imposed on all Ministers, after the man∣ner of that Oath, which Paul the fourth added to his Councel •••• ••rent, for all his Clergie to take, and so to Sweare to all the Doctrines and Canons concluded in that Councel. Thus, ô Lord, we could not, but in this perplexed case open our minds, and (as the Prophet saith:‡ 1.7 open our Cause before thee.

Notes

• * 1.1

  R••lation of a Cont••••••••nce, by Will of Canter∣burie.
• * 1.2

  Iud•• 24.
• * 1.3

  Esa. 26. 3.
• ‡ 1.4

  Col. 2. 8, &c▪
• ‡ 1.5

  Article of Consecration of Archbishops, &c.
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉
• ‡ 1.7

  Ier. 20. 1••