ALCOCK. 171 tarnestly soliciting the house to consider their case, and redress their grievances. In this supplication, now before me, he spoke with considerable freedom and boldness, con- cerning the corruptions of the church. He expressed himself as follows :-" The ceremonies now retained in the church, and urged upon the consciences of christians, occa- sion the blind to stumble and fall, the obstinate to become more hard-hearted, Christ's messengers are persecuted, the holy sacrament is profaned, God dishonoured, the truth despised, christian duty broken, and the hearts of many are sorely vexed : they cause papists and wicked men to rejoice in superstition, error, idolatry, and wickedness : they set friends at variance, and provoke the curse of God. Woe unto him by whom the offence cometh. " The godfathers and godmothers, who promise to do so much for the child, are the pope's kindred ; and, by his canon law, like priests, are forbidden to marry. It is holden that kneeling in the public sacrament, is more reverent, more religious, and more honourable to God; and thus they make themselveswiser than Jesus Christ, who sat with his disciples at the last supper. Matt. xxvi. In vain do ye worship me, teachingfor doctrines the command- ments of men. if a minister preach true doctrine and live virtuously, yet omit the least ceremony for conscience sake, he is im- mediately indicted, deprived, cast into prison, and his goods wasted and destroyed ; he is kept from his wife and children, and at last excommunicated, even though the articles brought against him be ever so false.. How heavy these ceremonies lie upon theconsciences of christians ; and -what difference there is between them, and those for which the people of God have been, and are still, so much perse- cuted, judge ye, as ye expect to bejudged in the day of judgment. Those who observe your ceremonies, though they be idolaters, common swearers, adulterers, or much worse, live without punishment, and have many friends. We, therefore, beseechyour fatherhoods to pity our case, to take these stumbling-blocks from us, that we may live quiet and peaceable lives, to the honour of our God."+ The convocation were, however, of another mind; and, instead of lessening their burdens, very much increased them. Bishop Maddox has endeavoured to invalidate this statement of Mr. Alcock, but completely failed in the attempt. He has produced ad- ditional evidence of the extreme severities inflicted upon the oppressed puritans.-Vindication, p. 335, 336. t MS. Register, p. 90-93.
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