ü8 The HISTORY of the PURITANS., Chap. IV. It has -been warmly difputed, whether the firft claufe of the loth article, Etiz'beth, The church has power to decree rites and ceremonies, and authority in contro- 3 erfies of faith, was a part of the article which paf ed the fvnod, and was Controverted afterwards confirmed by parliament in the year 1571. 'Tis certain that it etanfe of the is not among king Edward's articles ; nor is it in that original manufcript 2crh ÍrOtc e. of the articles, fubfcribed by both houfes of convocation with their own hands, Hill preferved in Bennet college library, among the reft of arch bithop Parker's papers. The records of this convocation were burnt in the fire of London, fo that there is na appealing to them ; but archbifhop Laud fays, that he fent tothe publick records in his office, and the notary returned him the zoth article with the claufe ; and that afterwards he found the book of articles fubfcribed by the lower houle of convocation in 1571. with the claufe. Heylin fays, That he confulted the records of convocation, and that the contefted claufe was in the book ; and yet Fuller, a much fairer writer, who had the liberty of perufing the fame records, declares he could not decide the controverfy. The fart is this, the ftatute of 1577. exprefly confirms Englifh articles comprized ir, animprinted book, entitled, Articles whereupon it was agreed by the archbifhops and bithops of both provinces, and the whole clergy in the convocation holden at London in the year 156z. according to the computation of the church of England ; for the avoiding diverfty of opinions, andfor the eablifhing of coqlent touching true religion : Putforth by the queen's authority. Now therewere only two editions ofthe articles in Englifh before this time, both which have the fame numerical title with that tranfcribed in the ftatute, and both (lays my author) want the claufe of the Church's power. But Mr. Strype in his life of archbifhop Parker Pays, that the claufe is to be found in two printed copies of 1 563, which I believe very few have feen. However, till the original M. S. abovementioned can be let afide, which is carefully marked as to the number of pages, and the number of lines and articles in each page, it feems more probable that the claufe was Tome way or other fur- reptitioufly inferted by thofe who were friends of the church's power, than ftruck out by the Puritans, as Laud and his followers have publifhed to the world ; for 'ds hard to fuppofe, that a foul copy as this is pretended to be, fhould be fo carefully marked and fubfcribed by every member of the fynod with their own hands, and yet not be perfeht; but it is not improbable that the notary or regifter, who tranfcribed the articles into the convocation book, with the names of them that fubfcribed, might by direhtion of his fuperiors privately infert it ; and fo it might appear in the records of 1571. though it was not in the original draught. The contro- verfy is of no great moment to the prefent clergy, becaufe 'tis certain, the, claufe was a part of the article confirmed by parliament tat the reftoration of king Charles II. 166z. though how far it was confiftent with the ad of
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