Defensive doubts, hopes, and reasons, for refusall of the oath, imposed by the sixth canon of the late synod with important considerations, both for the penning and publishing of them at this time / by John Ley ... ; hereunto is added by the same author, a letter against the erection of an altar, written above five yeares agoe, and a case of conscience, touching the receiving of the sacrament, resolved.

THE REASON.

BEcause of the ambiguity of the terme Church, which is variouslyf 1.1 distinguished; but especially, because the new Canons bring in a new acception of that word (new in respect of the language of Prote∣stant Divines) for in the fourteenth Canon, where caution is given concerning commutation of penance, by the Bishop, or his Chancellour, there is this pro∣viso, That if the crime be publickly complained of, and doe appeare notorious, that then the office shall signifie to the place from whence the complaint came, that the Delinquent hath satisfied the Church for his offence.

The satisfaction is by the payment of a pecuniary mulct, that is made to the Bishop, or his Chancellour; either of them then, or both together seemeth to bee called the Church in that Canon: and that contracti∣on of a word of such a large comprehension (as the right acception of it requireth) might breed some su∣spicion

of symbolizing with the Popish Dialect (though the sense bee not Popish) wherein by an in∣tensive Synecdoche, that which is most extensive, and diffused all over the world, is shrunke up into the per∣son of one man, the Pope. But because the matter of commutation in that Canon, is of a narrower com∣passe then either Doctrine or Discipline in this, wee may take the word Church in a larger acception; and that may be either for the Clergy in generall, when it is used by way of distinction from the Laity, or as the 139. Canon decreeth it [The Church representa∣tive in a Synod whichg 1.2 Papists restraine to Episcopall Prelates] Or as the 19. Article taketh it, A visible congregation of faithfull men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly admini∣stred: Or as in the 35. Article, it may stand for the place where the people are assembled, and holy offi∣ces performed; but which of these, or whether any other sense of the word [Church] bee meant in this place, we leave it to those, who have authority to in∣terpret the Oath, to resolve.

Notes

• f 1.1

  See Doctor Downham in the defence of his Sermon. lib. 2. c. I. p. 4. Master Jacob in his book of the necessity of Reform. the Minist. and Cerem. As∣sert. 1. pag. 6. with others.
• g 1.2

  Episcopi sunt Ecclesia representativa, ut nostri lo∣quuntur. Bel∣lar. l. 3. de Ec∣cles. c. 14. Archbishop Laud seemes to take the word Church for the Bishops, in the Epistle Dedi∣catory before his Starre-chamber Speech, where he makes request in the Churches name, that it may bee resolved by the reverend Judges, that keeping of Courts, and issuing of processe in the Bishops names—are not against the lawes of the Realme. fol. penult. p. 1.