Chap. Ili. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 531 " died a fire in our neighbour country, are now endeavouring to fet this K. Charles I. " kingdom in aflame." 1628. Mr. Pym laid, " That by the articles fet forth í56z. by the " catechifm fet forth in king Edward Vlth's days, by the writings Rufh,;. Y " of Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr ; by the conftant profefions yol.I.p.64q. " fealed with the blood of manymartyrs, as Cranmer, Ridley, and o- " thers; by the thirty-fix articles of queen Elizabeth, and by the ar- " 0 tides agreed upon at Lambeth as the doltrine of the church of England, " which king James lent to Dort, and to Ireland, it appears evidently " what is the eftablifhed religion of the realm. Let us therefore thew " wherein thefe late opinions differ from thofe truths ; and what men " have been fence preferred who have profeffed the contrary heretics; what .° pardons they have had for falle dottrine ; what prohibiting of books and " writings againft their doctrine, and permittingof fuch books as have been " for them'. Let us enquire after the abettors, and after the pardons " granted to them that preach the contrary truth before his majefty. It belongs to parliaments to eftablifh true religion, and to punifh falfe. " ° We muff know what parliaments have done formerly in religion. Our " parliaments have confirmed general councils. In the time ofking Henry " VIII. the earl of EQex was condemned [by parliament] for countenan- " cing books of herefy, The convocation is but a provincial fynod of " Canterbury, and cannot bind the whole kingdom. As for York it is " diftant, and cannot bind us or the laws ; and as for the high commiflion " it is derived from parliament. o Sir John Elliot Paid, " if there be any difference in opinion concerning of Sir the interpretation of the thirty-nine articles, it is Paid, the bithops and j. Elliot. " clergy in convocation have power to difpute it, and to order which way Ruírw. " they pleafe. A flight thing that the power of religion fhould be left to Val,p.649. thefe men ! I honour their profeflion ; thereare among our bithops fuch o as are fit to be made examples for all ages, who thine in virtue, and are o firm for religion ; but the contrary faction I like not. I remember a character I have teen in a diary of king EdwardVI. wherehe Pays of the bithops, that f mefor age, famefor ignorance, fame for luxury, and fome forpopery, were unfitfor difcipline and government. We fee there are fome among ourbithops that are not orthodox, nor found in religion as o o they fhould be, witnefs the two bithops complained of the Taft meeting of this parliament ; fhould we be in their power, I fear our religion " would be overthrown. Some ofthefe are ma/iers ofceremonies, and la- " boor to introduce new ceremonies into the church, - -Let us go to " the ground of our religion, and lay down a rule on which all others may sett, and then enquire after offenders." Yyy 2 Mr.
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