The last vvill and testament, with the profession of the faith of Humfrey Fen, sometimes pastor of one of the churches of Coventry, but cast out by the High Commission for labouring in a peaceable way the reformation of our discipline

I Professe with the Church of Eng∣land the same doctrine of Faith and Sacraments established in the first yeare of the raigne of the renowned Queene Elizabeth of blessed memo∣ry; of which doctrine according to the measure of the grace of God I have been Preacher fifty and five yeares, though unworthy of such a de∣gree in the Faith of Jesus Christ my Lord God and Saviour blessed for ever.

Touching the Discipline of the Church, to hold that Doctors, Pastors, ruling Elders and Deacons which is restored by the most reformed Charches, is to be held Apostolicall, universall, and unchangea∣ble, and that the Churches of England doe sinne against their Head and only Monarch, in violent opposition thereof for the upholding ambitious pompes and worldly Prelacy, which being a humane presumption at the first, being pretended for a re∣medy against Schisme (a cure more dangerous than the disease it selfe) made way for Antichrist, the head of Papacy, with power, and now serveth with us to hinder the Churches edification, and to main∣taine a shamefull Schisme against all the reformed Churches of the Gospell.

Touching ceremonies, I beleeve the Church hath no authority to ordaine any for pompe or signifi∣cation, but only for order and comlinesse, and that Ecclesiasticall decrees therein doe binde onely in

case of scandall and contempt. But decrees for cere∣monies of the other kindes are so far from binding, that in defence of Christiall liberty they ought to be broken; I therefore professe the Ceremonies in question with us unlawfull, for that they be teach∣ing signes which in Gods worship he only may in∣stitute; or for that originally they are superstiti∣ous, the same devised by Heretikes and Antichrist in his Idolatry to captive soules, and so prescribed it to be used in Gods worship; or for that they doe grace Popery and scandalize the weake, who for their sakes conceive the better of Popery; or for that they give Papists occasion to scorne our religion and profession who borrow their Ceremonies, and grieve zealous Christians to see the Spouse of Christ forced to conforme to the strumpet of Rome, and to weare the tokens of her captivity, which no true Zeale can disgest with patience, neither can it stand with hearty repentance for former straying from God; or for that they breake the unity of brethren, spoile the Church of faithfull Pastors, stay many from the worke of the Ministery, and give advan∣tage to prophane persons, and Papists, to perse∣cute true Professors, and make the State guilty of the blood of the righteous, by wearing out their spi∣rits by many indignities not to be looked for at the hands of brethren; and I doe lament the ceremoni∣all bondage of our Church, wherein Christian li∣berty is inthralled with humane presumptions, which are exalted and inforced with more Zeale than the ho∣ly Ordinances of God, and the ragges of the whore of Babylon injoyned the Spouse of Christ, to the

scorne of all her sisters, the Reformed Churches; who together with the doctrine of the man of sinne have cast out the Image of the Beast his Hierarchy, Archbishops, Suffragans, Deanes, Bishops, Chan∣cellors, Archdeacons, Commissaries, Officials, Pre∣bends, with the Canon Law, Spirituall Courts, dis∣pensations for non-residents, that odious sin restraint of marriage, without their dispensation (not much differing from the doctrine of devils) with their oathes ex Officio, compurgatory censures, commu∣tations of pennance, absolutions, consecrations, con∣firmations, together with all their contrived cere∣monies, to be the filthy remainder of uncleane Beasts, so doe I humbly desire the Lord to purge and cleanse his Church thereof at the length; and as I my selfe for the space of fifty five yeares, according to my weake ability, opposed those corruptions, and by prayer, supplication, conference and suffering, en∣deavoured in a Christian peaceable manner the sin∣cere reformation thereof, so doe I earnestly exhort by the like Christian meanes, all that feare God, love the peace of Jerusalem, and desire the crowne of van∣quishers, according to your calling, to doe the like; and as these times doe require of those that love the Lord Jesus, an open profession of this cause, wherein Christ is persecuted in many of his members, so they would not be wanting in this duty at this time, where∣in through the defection of many, others thinke the cause forsaken; yet doe I not hold it lawfull for these corruptions to separate from the communion of the Church of England, if therein a Christian may en∣joy true doctrine with the Sacraments, from a Mini∣ster

able to teach the truth, and where in the worship of God he is not forced by a personall act to approve of those corruptions.

Touching the civill Magestrate, I acknowledge our dread soveraigne King Charles is supreame gover∣nor over all persons in his Dominions, by civill pow∣er to suppresse all false worship, to compell all to the meanes of faith and knowledge of the truth which is according to godlinesse, to force all Ecclesiasticall Ministers to a faithfull execution of the duties of their place injoyned by our blessed Saviour, and to re∣forme the remaining corruptions in the discipline, service and ceremonies of the Church, according to the order of Gods word; and though I hold him subject to all the ordinances of Christ in his Church, serving to the salvation of men, yet doe I deny him to be sub∣ject to any person, forraigne or domesticall touching his life, liberty, crowne or dignity, or to any other forraigne or domesticall censure by whomsoever ex∣ecuted.

This confession I set downe under mine hand, as my last act in this kind, as a fruit of mine age, which is eighty seven yeares, and brought out in a serious me∣ditation of my appearing shortly before the judge of all flesh, who only knoweth my heart, and to whom only I shall stand or fall; his judgements I feare, and doe humbly crave pardon for all mine infirmities in this profession, as for all my other sins, but as touch∣ing the substance of this profession, as I know assured∣ly, so I appeale to his all seeing spirit, whether I have in hypocisie, contrary to the full perswasion of my heart, lived so long therein, indeavoured so much for

it, and now am ready to dy therein; Let this suffice to stop the mouthes of slanderers, who incroaching upon the office of God, cry out of mens hypocrisie, who being (as they say) convinced in their consciences, doe yet for sinister respects, continue the profession of the cause, as an Archprelate openly traduced as ho∣nest a man as himselfe, in the High Commission Court, not long since, whereas also he cast out many unsavory speeches and reproaches, unbeseeming a man of God and chiefe Father of Pastors (as forsooth he would be taken to be) and unworthy so many well de∣serving Preachers of the Gospel, whose right hand of Fellowship himselfe would not have scorned while King Iames stood indifferent in the cause; be it there∣fore that King Iames have forsaken this cause, which had his first love under his hand, witnessed by many workes, and namely by interceding for Mr. Thomas Cartwright, and others, imprisoned for this cause through the false suggestions of ambitious men, who (fearing to lose the fat morsels of their large rewards) abused the state by untrue surmises, which they were never able to make good; And be it since that shew of a dispute in the cause at Hampton Court, wherein men were purposely chosen to undertake our cause, who (excepting one reverend Father) never tooke the cause to heart, as men that pesent themselves in an act upon a Stage; be it (I say) rhat ever since that time our cause hath lost many lovers by death, many fa∣mous Ministers and others by defection, yet the cause is the same it was, when it was esteemed holy by the best professors that were; when it was embraced by so many reformed Churches, and as it was in the judge∣ment

of so many reverend men which ever have ap∣proved it, for all the violent and unkinde opposition made thereto; and as the cause remaines the same it was, so I thanke my God that by his grace I affect it no whit the lesse, but am assured it is a truth of God, wherein after fifty five yeares labour in the Ministe∣ry of the Gospell, after much reading what hath been written on both sides, after many conferences with worthy brethren of indifferent judgement, after ma∣ny prayers to the Father of lights; lastly, upon advi∣sed deliberation and consideration of the effects that have ensued the persecutions, I gladly end my daies, and with joy doe beare it in my bosome into the pre∣sence of God, and doe hope, and in my best prayers doe beseech him to raise up daily faithfull men to contend for the truth of God against all gain-sayers.

Humfrey Fen departed this life in, or about September, 1634.

FINIS.