4. That no man shall be compelled to bow at the name of Jesus.

5. For the use of the surplice, we are contented that all men be left to their liberty to do as they shall think fit, without suffering in the least degree for wearing or not wearing it.

And because some men, otherwise pious and learned, say they cannot conform unto the subscription required by the canons, nor take the oath of canonical obedience, we are content, and it is our will and pleasure (so they take the oath of allegiance and supremacy) that they shall receive ordination, institution, and induction, and shall be permitted to exercise their function, and to enjoy the profits of their livings without the said subscription, or oath of canonical obedience. And moreover, that no persons in the universities shall, for the want of such subscription be hindered in taking their degrees. Lastly, that such as have been ordained by presbyters, be not required to renounce their ordination, or to be re-ordained, or denied institution and induction for want of ordination by bishops. And moreover, that none be judged to forfeit their presentation or benefice, or be deprived of it, for not reading of those of the XXXIX Articles that contain the controverted points of Church government and ceremonies.

XII.

Humble and grateful acknowledgment of some Ministers of London for the Declaration.-Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, by Sylvester, pp. 284-5.

TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY :

The humble and grateful acknowledgment of many ministers of the gospel in and about the city of London, to his royal majesty for his gracious concessions in his majesty's late Declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs.

Most dread Sovereign,

WE your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, ministers of the gospel in your city of London, having perused your majesty's late Declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs, and finding it, to the joy of our hearts, so full of indulgence and gracious condescension, we cannot but judge ourselves highly obliged, in the first place, to render our unfeigned thanks to our good God, who hath so mercifully inclined your majesty's royal heart to this moderation; and next, our most humble and hearty acknowledgments unto your sacred majesty, that we may testify to your royal self, and all the world, our just resentment of your majesty's great goodness and clemency therein expressed.

May it please your Majesty,

The liberty of our consciences, and the free exercise of our ministry in the work of our great Lord and Master, for the conversion of souls, ought to be, and are, more dear to us than all the profits and preferments of this world and therefore your majesty's tenderness, manifested in these so high concernments, doth wonderfully affect us, and raise up our hearts to a high pitch of gratitude.

We cannot but adore divine goodness for your majesty's stedfast adherence to the protestant religion, notwithstanding all temptations and provocations to the contrary, and your professed zeal for the advancement and propagation thereof, declaring that nothing can be proposed to manifest your zeal and affection for it, to which you will not readily

consent.

Your majesty has graciously declared, that your resolution is, and shall be, to promote the power of godliness, to encourage the exercises of religion, both public and private, to take care that the Lord's day be applied to holy exercises, without unnecessary divertisements; and that insufficient, negligent, and scandalous ministers, be not permitted in the church. Your majesty hath granted that no bishop shall ordain, or exercise any part of jurisdiction which appertains to the censures of the church, without the advice and assist

ance of the presbyters, and neither do, nor impose anything, but what is according to the known laws of the land; excluded chancellors, commissaries, and officials, from acts of jurisdiction; so happily restored the power of the pastors, in their several congregations; and granted a liberty to all the ministers to assemble monthly for the exercise of the pastoral persuasive power, to the promoting of knowledge and godliness in their flocks. Your majesty hath graciously promised a review, and effectual reformation of the liturgy, with additional forms to be used at choice: and in the meantime, that none be punished or troubled for not using it. Your majesty hath graciously freed us from subscription required by the canon, and the oath of canonical obedience; and granted us to receive ordination, institution, and induction, and to exercise our function, and enjoy the profit of our livings, without the same. Your majesty hath gratified the consciences of many who are grieved with the use of some ceremonies, by indulging to and dispensing with their omitting those ceremonies, viz., kneeling at the sacrament, the cross in baptism, bowing at the name of Jesus, and wearing of the surplice.

All this your majesty's indulgence and tender compassion (which with delight we have taken the boldness thus largely to commemorate) we receive with all humility and thankfulness, and, as the best expression thereof, shall never cease to pray for your majesty's long and prosperous reign, and study how in our several stations we may be most instrumental in your majesty's service and that we may not be defective in ingenuity, we crave leave to profess, that though all things in this frame of government be not exactly suited to our judgment, yet your majesty's moderation hath so great an influence upon us, that we shall, to our utmost, endeavour the healing of the breaches, and promoting the peace and union of the church.

There are some other things that have been propounded by our reverend brethren, which, upon our knees, with all humble importunity, we could beg of your majesty, especially that re-ordination, and the surplice in colleges may not be imposed; and we cannot lay aside our hopes, but that that God

who hath thus far drawn out your majesty's bowels and mercy, will further incline your majesty's heart to gratify us in these our humble desires also.

That we be not further burthensome, we humbly beg leave to thank your majesty for the liberty and respect vouchsafed to our reverend brethren in this weighty affair of accomodation. The God of heaven bless your majesty, and all the

This address was presented to his majesty at Whitehall, November 16th, by some of these ministers, to whom he was pleased to return a very gracious answer.

XIII.

A Proclamation prohibiting all unlawful and seditious meetings and conventicles under pretence of religious worship.' -Wilkins' Concilia, vol. iv, pp. 564-5; Cardwell's Documentary Annals, Oxford, 1844, vol. ii, pp. 302-4.

Charles R.

ALTHOUGH nothing can be more unwelcome to us, than the necessity of restraining some part of that liberty, which was

'The insurrection of the Fifth-monarchy men under Venner, took place on Sunday, 6th January, 1660-1, and was finally suppressed on the following Wednesday. It furnished a pretext for this Proclamation. All classes of dissenters were eager to purge themselves of the suspicion of being accomplices

indulged to tender consciences by our late gracious Declaration; yet since divers persons (known by the name of Anabaptists, Quakers, and Fifth-monarchy men, or some such like appellation, as a mark of distinction and separation) under pretence of serving God, do daily meet in great numbers in secret places, and at unusual times, by reason whereof they begin to boast of their multitudes, and to increase in their confidences, as having frequent opportunities to settle a perfect correspondency and confederacy between themselves, of which some evil effects have already ensued, even to the disturbance of the public peace by insurrection and murder, for which the offenders must answer to the law, and far worse may be still expected, unless some speedy course be taken to prevent their further growth.

To the intent therefore that none of those persons, who have presumed to make so ill an use of our indulgence, may be strengthened in such their proceedings by any general words or expressions in our late Declaration; we have thought fit by these presents to publish and declare our royal will and pleasure, that no meeting whatsoever of the persons aforesaid, under pretence of worshipping God, shall at any time hereafter be permitted or allowed, unless it be in some parochial church or chapel in this realm, or in private houses by the

of the rebels. The Anabaptists presented an address to the king, in which they said, "we cannot imagine a reason why [the] bloody tenets, and tragical "actions [of the Fifth-monarchy men] should reflect upon those of our persua"sion, the persons not being of our belief or practice about baptism; but to "the best of our information, they were all, except one, assertors of infant "baptism, and never had communion with us in our assemblies." The Independents, and Quakers, also, disowned all connexion with the rebels. But as the oath of allegiance and supremacy was generally tendered to the Baptists and Quakers when discovered in their several religious assemblies, and as they could not conscientiously acknowledge the supremacy of the king in ecclesiastical matters, great numbers of them were thrown into prison in all parts of the kingdom, and kept in close confinement until the coronation of the king, 23rd April following.-Collier's Ecclesiastical History, London, 1714, vol. ii, p. 876; Rapin's History of England, London, 1743, vol. ii, p. 623-5; Crosby's History of the Baptists, London, 1739, vol. ii, pp. 38 and 93 Hanbury's Memorials of the Independents, vol. iii, pp. 592-5.