258 The HISTORY of PURITANS. Chap. VI. R,een which had been impertinent, if Mr. White, being only a minifter, had not Ehzaberh; been a bifhop. When his lerdfhip charged him with fàying, There were ' r5b._ mo lawful naimiters in the church of,England, he replied, " I will be con- Strype's.4nn" teilt to becondemned, ifI bring not zoo witneffes for my difcharge of 2'x,2 " this accufation. Ido as certainly believe, That there are lawful mini/lers 3 4 °' in England, as that thereas afun in theJky. In Effex I can bring 26 godly minifters, all preachers, who will teflify that they love me, and have cau.fe to think that I love and reverence them. I preached (even " years in the univerfity of Cambridge with approbation, and have a tefli- " monial to produce, under the band, and feals of the matter and fellows " of Chrill college, being all tninifters at that time, of my good behaviour.' F-Ì'scrdinati-However all he could fay was to nopurpofe, the bithop would not allow CUE d,nicd. his orders, and therefore pronounced him a layman, and incapable of hold- ing any living in the church. The lord Rich and divers honourable knights and gentlemen in Efex, had petitioned the bifhop of London for a licence, that Mr. Wright might preach publickly in any place within his diocefe; but his lordfhip always refuted it, becaufe be was no minifter, that is, had only been ordained a- mong the foreign churches. This was certainly contrary to law ; for the flatute of 13 Eliz. cap. 12. admits the minifirations of thofe, who had on- ly been ordained according to the manner of the Scots, or other foreign churches : There were fome (cores, if not hundreds of them, now in the church ; and the archbifhop of Canterbury at this very time, commanded Dr. Aubrey, his vicar general, to licenfe Mr. John Morrifon, a Scots divine, whohad had noother ordination, than what be received from a Scotsprefbytery, to preach over his whole province. The words of the licence are as'follow; PreJbyterial " Since you the aforefaid yamMorrifon, about five years pall in the town ordination " of Garret, in the county of Lothian, of the kingdom ofScotland, were admitted by " admitted and ordained to facred orders, and the holy miniftry, by the itbp. Grin- " im o strop of hands, according to the laudable orm and rite o the reformed dal. pf f g % Lifeof Grin-" churchof Scotland :. And fine the congregation of that county of Lothi- dal, P. 27" " an, is conformable to the orthodox faith, and fincere religion, now re- " ceived in this realm of England, and eftablifhed by publick authority " We therefore as much as lies in us, and as by right we may, APPROV- " ING AND RATIFYING THE FORM OF YOUR ORDINATION AND " PREFERMENT,., DONE IN SUCH MANNER AFORESAID,. grant unto " you a licence and faculty, with the content and exprefs command of the " molt reverend father in Christ, the lord EDMUND, by the divine provi- " dence, archbifhop ofCanterbury,, to us frgnified, That infuckorders byyou " taken, you may, and havepower in any convenient places, in and through- " out the wholeprovince of Canterbury, to. celebrate ,divine offices, to minilter thefacraments, &c. as much as in us lies; and we may de jure, and as " far .1I
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