308 The H I S TORY of . the PURITANS. .Chap. VII. !r,,n ERROR. Is it then a flander to the church of England, or to any pro_ Elizar58beth, teftant church, to fay the is fallible and may have maintained an error? r--` Have not fathers and councils erred`? Nay, in the very church of Rome, which alone lays claim to INFALLIBILITY, have we not read of one pope and council reverting the decrees of another ? The twenty -firft article of the church of England fays, that general councils may err, and Tome- 'times.have erred, even in things pertaining to God. And if a general council may err, even in things of importance to falvation, furely it can be no flander to fay a convocation, a parliament, or a tingle perfon may miftake, in commanding to abflain frommeats, andforbidding to marry at certain times of the year. Puritans ap- While the puritans wére attending the parliament, theydid not negleft pty to cony, .the convocation :. A petition was prefented to them in the name of the mi- earion. niters, who refufed to fubfcribe the archbif1op's three articles, wherein they detire to be fatisfied in their fcruples, which the law admits, but MS. p. 595. had not hitherto been attempted. The convocation revetting their peti- tion, the minifters printed their apology to the church, and humble tit to the high court of parliament, in which they mention feveral things in the publick fervice, as repugnant to the word of God, as, requiring faith in an infant to be baptized ; confounding baptifm and regeneration ; adding to the pure and perfe& inftitutions of Chrift, the crois in baptifm and the ring in marriage; advancing the writings of the Apocrypha, to a level with holyfcripture, by reading them in the church with many others. They conclude with an earneft fupplication to their fuperiors, to be continued in their callings, confidering their: being fet apart to the miniftry, and the obligations they were under to God and their people ;. they proteft they will do any thing they can without fan, and the rather, becaufe they are apprehenfive, that the Jhepherds being flricken, their flocks will be flattered. And to the The puritans laft refort was to the archbifhop, who had a prevailing in, arcbbfap. tereft in the queen ; a paper was therefore publifhed, entitled, means how to fettle agodly and charitable quietnefs in the church; humbly addreffed to the archbifhop, and containing the following propofals. Their props- I.. That it would pleafe his grace, not to preis fuch fubfcription as had fa /.r. been of late required, feeing in the parliament that eftablifhe.d the arti- gf,afp 9'6, Iles, the fubfcription was mtflilted and put out. z. That he would not oblige men to accufe themfelves by the oath ex ocio, it being contrary to law,; and the liberty of the fubje&. 3.. That thofe minifters who have been of late fufpended, may be reflored, upon giving a bond and fecurity, not to preach again ft the dig- nities of archbifbops, bithops, eec. nor to difturb the order of the church,
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