18o 7heHISTORY of the PURITAINS: Chip, V, ,tueen at the reftoration of king Charles II: when the church was deprived of Elizabeth, great numbers of learned and ufeful preachers, who fcrupled the matter =5 of re- ordination, as they would at this time, if it had been infifted on. Many of the prefent clergy had been exiles for religion, and had been ordained abroad, according to the cullom of foreign churches, but would not be re- ordained, any more than thofe of the popifh communion; therefore to put an end to all difputes the flatutes includes both; the words are thefe ; " That every perfon under the degree of a bifhop, 6' that doth or shall pretend, to be a priefl or minifter of God's word « and facraments, by reafon of any other form of inflitution, confecra- °' tion, or ordering, than the form fet forth in parliament in the time " of the late King Edward VI. or now ufed in the reign of our moft fovereign lady, queen Elizabeth, fhall before Chris lmas next, declare °° his affent, and fubfcribe the articles aforefaid." The meaning of Strype's Anwhich claufe, fays Mr. Strype, is undoubtedly to comprehend papifls, nats, p yr. and likewife fuch as received their orders in Tome of the foreign reformed churches, when they were in exile under queen Mary. It is probable that the controverted claufe of the loth article, The church bath power to decree rites and ceremonies, and authority, in con- troverfaes of faith, was not among the articles of 1562. as has been (hewn under that year; though it might be, according to Laudand Heylin, 5nferted in the convocation book of 1571. but what has this to do with the aft of parliament, which refers to a book printed nine years before? Befides, it is abfurd to charge the puritans with flriking-out the claufe, as archbifhop Laud has done ; they having no (hare in the government of the church at this time, nor intereft to obtain the leaft abatement in their favour ; nor does it appear, that they difapproved the claufe under proper regulations : One might rather fuppofe, that the queen fhould take umbrage at it as an invafion of her prerogative, and that there- fore fome zealous churchman, finding the articles defeétive upon the head of the church's authority, might infert it privately, to avoid the danger of a preemunire. But after all, fubfcription to the doftrinal articles of the church ONLY, has been reckoned a very great grievance by many pious and learned di- vines, both in the church and out of it ; for it is next to impofible to frame 36 propofrtions. in any human words, to which ten thoufand clergy men can give their hearty affent and confent. Some that agree to the doftrine itfelf, may diflent from the words and phrafes by which it is expref d ; and others,, who agree to the capital dos trines of Chrifli- aniity, may have force doubts about the deeper and more abfirufe points of fpeculation. It would be hard to deprive a man of his living, and taut him out from all ufefulnefs in the church, becaufe he doubts of the
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