Chap. VII. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 313 officer ferved him with a prohibition upon the pulpit (lairs ; upen which, Queen inftead of a fermon, he acquainted the congregation with his fufpenfion, Elizabeth, and difmiffed them. The reafons given for it were, (r.) That he was not ordained according to the rites of the church of England. (2.) That he had broken the orders of the 7th of the queen, That difputes fhould not be brought into thepulpit. Mr. Travers in his own vindicationdrew up a petition, orfupplication to His fuppll- , the council, in which he complains of being judged and condemned before cation to the he was heard ; and then goes on to anfwer the objections alledged againft council. him in the prohibition. Firft it is faid, that I amnot lawfully called to exercife the office of a mini- f1er, nor allowed topreach, according to the laws of the church of England. Towhich I anfwer, That my call was by fuch methods as are appointed in the national fynods of the foreign reformed churches; teftimonials of which I have (hewn to my lord archbifhop of Canterbury ; fo that if any man be lawfully called to the miniftry in thofe countries I am. But Iam not quaked to be a minifler in England, becaufè I amnot ordained according to the laws ofthis country. I befeech your lordfhips toweigh my anfwer, (r.) Such is the commu- nion of faints, as that what folemn alts are done in one true church of Chrift, according to his word, are held lawful in all others. (2.) The conftituting or making ofa minifter being once lawfully done, ought not to be repeated. (3.) Paftors and teachers in the New Teftament hold the fame manner of calling as I had. (4.) The repeating ordination L. of Whit- makes void the former ordination, and confequently all fuch as as were gift, p. 251. doneby virtue ofit, as baptfin, confirmation, marriage, &c. (5.) By the fame rule, people ought to be rebaptized and marriedover again, when they come into this country from a foreign. Befides by the ftatute 13 Eliz. thofe who have been ordained in fo- reign proteftant churches, upon their fubfcribing the articles therein men- tioned, are qualified to enjoy any benefice in the kingdom, equally with them who are ordained according to the laws now in being; which com- prehending all that are pries according to the order of the church f Rome, muff certainly be as favourable to minifters ordained among fo- reign proteftants. In confequenceof this law, manyScots divines are now in poffefìion of benefices in the church, as was Mr. Whittingham, thpugh he was the firft who was ,called in queftion in this cafe. But it is raid, Ipreached without prefentatibn or licence. To which I anfwer, That the place where I exercifedmy rniniftry required no ,prefentation, nor had I a title, or reaped any benefit by law, but only received a voluntary contribution, and was employed in preaching only; and as to a licence, I was recommended to be a rninifter of that place, VoL.I. S f by
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