civil power too: Your Lordships know that the Jack Straws, and Cades, and watt Tylers of formertimes, did not more cry down Learning then Nobility: and thofe of your Lordships that have read the history of the Anabaptistical tumults at Munster will need no other Item, let it be enough to fay that many of these Sectaries are of the fame profeffion: Shortly therefore let me humbly move your Lordships to take these dangers and miferies of this poor Church deeply to heart, and upon this occafion to give order for the fpeedy redreffing of thefe horrible infolencies, and for the stopping of that deluge of libellous invectives, wherewith we are thus impetuoufly overflown; Which in all due fubmiffion, I humbly prefent to your Lordships wife, and religious confideration.

A

SPEECH

IN

PARLIAMENT,

In Defence of the

CANONS

MADE IN

CONVOCATION.

My Lords,

cannot choose but know that whofoever riles up in this caufe muft fpeak with the disadvantage of much prejudice; and therefore I do humbly crave your Lordships best construction, were it (my Lords) that fome few doubting perfons were to be fatisfied in fome fcruples about matter of the Canons, there might have been fome life in the hope of prevailing; but now that we are borne down with fuch a torrent of generall and refolute contradiction, we yield; but yet give us leave I beseech you so to yield that pofterity may not say we have willingly betraid our own innocence.First therefore let us plead to your Lordships and the World, that to abate the edge of that illegality which is objected to us, it was our obedience that both alfembled and kept us together for the making of Synodicall acts. We had the great Seal of England for it,feconded by the judgments of the oracles of law and justice; and upon thefe the command of our fuperiour to whom we have fworn and owe canonical obedience:

dience: Now in this cafe, what should we do ( Was it for us to judg of the great feal of England; or to judg of our Judges (alas we are not for the law, but for the Gofpell) or to disobey that au-, thority which was to be ever facred to us, I befeech your Lordships. put your felves a while in to our condition, had the cafe been yours, what would you have done? If we obey not, we are rebels to authority; if we obey we are cenfured for illegall procedures ? Where are we now, my Lords? It is an old rule of Cafuifts, nemo tenetur esse perplexus, Free us one way or other; and fhew us whether we must rather hazard cenfure, or incurr difobedience. In the next place give us leave to plead our good intentions; fince we muft make new Canons. I perfwade my felf we all came (I am fure I can speak for one) with honeft and zealous defires to do God and his Church good fervice, and expected to have received great thanks both of Church and Common-wealth; for your Lordihips fee that the main drift of thofe Canons was to reprefs and confine the indiscreet and lawless discourses of fome either ignorant, or parafiticall, I am fure offenfive Preachers to fupprefs the growth of Socinianism, Popery, Separatifm, to redrefs fome abuses of Ecclefiaftical courts and officers; In all which I dare fay your Lordships do heartily concurr with them; And if in the manner of expreffion there have been any failings I thall humbly befeech your Lordships that thofe may not be too much stood upon where the main fubftance is well meant; and in it felf profitable. In the third place give me leave to put your Lordfhips in mind of the continuall practife of the Chriftian Church, fince the firft Synod of the Apostles (A. 15.) to this prefent day; wherein I fuppofe it can never be showed that ever any Ecclefiafticall Canons made by the Bifhops and Clergy in Synods,generall,national, provinciall, were either offered or required to be confirmed by Parliaments Emperours and Princes,by whofe authority thofe Synods were called, have ftill given their power to the ratification and execution of them; and none others; and if you pleafe to look into the times within the ken of memory or fomewhat beyond it, Linwoods Conftitutions, what Parliaments confirmed? The InjunЯtions of Queen Elizabeth, the Canons of King James were never tendred to the Parliament for confirmation; and yet have fo far obtained hitherto, that the government of the Church was by them Atill regulated; compare I befeech you thofe of K. James with the prefent

prefent, your Lordships fhall find them many, peremptory, refolute, ftanding upon their own grounds, in points much harder of digeftion then these which are but few, and only feconds to former conftitutions: it therefore in this we have erred, furely the whole Christian Church of all places and times hath erred with us ; either therefore we shall have too good company in the cenfure, or else we shall be excused.

Fourthly give me leave to urge the authority of thefe Canons ; in which regard if I might without offence fpeak it, I might fay that the complainants have not (under correction) laid a right ground of their acculation; They fay we have made Canons and Conftitutions; alas my Lords we have made none.

We neither did, nor could make Canons, more then they can make laws; The Canons are fo to the Church as laws are for the Common-wealth; now they do but rogare legem, they do not ferre or fancire legem, that is only for the King to do, it is le Roy le Veult, that of bills makes laws; fo was it for us to do in matter of Canons, we might propound fome fuch conftitutions as we should think might be ufefull; but when we have done we fend them to his Majefty, who perufing them cum avifamento Confilii fui, and approving them puts life into them, and of dead propofitions makes them Canons; as therefore the laws are the Kings laws, and not ours; fo are the Canons the Kings Canons, and not the Clergies, Think thus of them, and then draw what conclufions you please.

As for that pecuniary bufinefs of our contribution wherein we are faid to have trenched upon the liberty of fubjects and propriety of goods; Ibefeech your Lordthios do but fee the difference of times, we had a precedent for it; The fame thing was done in Q. Eliza beths time in a mul& of 3 s. the pound and that after the end of the Parliament, with the fame claufes of Sufpenfion, Sequeftration, Deprivation, without noile of any exception which now is cryed down for an unheard of incroachment; how legall it may be I dif pute not, and did then make bold to move; but let the guide of that example and the zeal that we had to the fupply of his Majefties neceffities excufe us a tanto at leaft; if having given these as fubfidies fitting the Parliament, and the bill being drawn up for the confirmation of the Parliament,we now,upon the unhappy diffolution of it as loath to retract lo neceffary a graunt we were willing to ove it

Bur

But, my Lords, if I may have leave to fpeak my own thoughts, Ithall freely fay that whereas there are three general concernments both of perfons and caufes, merely Ecclefiaftical, merely Temporal, or mixt of both Ecclefiaftical and temporall; as it is fit, the Church by her Synode fhould take cognizance of, and order for the firit whcih is merely Ecclefiaftical, fo next under his Majesty, the Parliament should have the power of ordering the other; but in the mean time, my Lords, where are we? The Canons of the Church both late and former are pronounced to be void and forcelefs, the Church is a garden or vineyard inclofed; the laws and conftitutions of it are as the wall, or hedg, if thefe be caft open, in what State are we shall the enemies of this Church have fuch an advantage ofus, as to fay, we are a lawless Church, or fhall all Men be left loofe to their licentious freedom, God in Heaven forbid : Hitherto we have been quietly and happily governed by thofe former Canons, the extent whereof we have not I hope (and for fome of us) I am confident, we have not exceeded; why should we not be fo ftill? Let these late Canons fleep fince you will have it fo, till we awake them, which fhall not be till Dooms-day,and let us be where we were, and regulate our felves by thofe conftitutions which were quietly fubmitted to on all hands, and for this which is past, fince that which we did was out of our true obedience, and with honeft and godly intentions and according to the Univerfal practise of all Christian Churches, and with the full power of his Majefties authority, let it not be imputed to us as any way worthy of your Lordships centure,