WHIT- seniors, or elders, for government ecclesiastical, and of deacons 624. "4. Item, That by the said eldership, and the authority thereof, certain English-born subjects were called, elected, or ordained by imposition of hands, to be ministers, or ecclesiastical doctors (being not of that degree before), as Hart, Travers, Grise, or some of them; and some that were also ministers before, according to the orders of the Church of England, as Fenner, Acton, were so called, and other English subjects were also called, and likewise ordained elders, and some others were ordained deacons, in other manner and form than the laws ecclesiastical of the realm do prescribe, or allow of. "5. Item, That such eldership so established, under the presidentship of him the said Thomas Cartwright, had used (besides this authority of this vocation, and ordination of officers ecclesiastical) the censures, and keys of the Church, as public admonition, suspension from the Supper, and from execution of offices ecclesiastical, and the censures of excommunication; likewise authority of making laws, decrees, and orders ecclesiastical, and of dealing with the doctrine and manners of all persons in that congregation, in all matters whatsoever, so far as might appertain to conscience. "6. Item, That he, the said Thomas Cartwright, in the public administration of his ministry there, among her majesty's subjects, used not the form of Liturgy, or Book of Common Prayer, by the laws of this land established, nor in his government ecclesiastical, the laws and orders of this land; but rather conformed himself in both to the use and form of some other foreign Churches. "7. Item, That since his last return from beyond the seas, being to be placed at Warwick, he faithfully promised (if he might but be tolerated to preach) not to impugn the laws, orders, policy, government, nor governors in this Church of England, but to persuade and procure so much as he could, both publicly and privately, the estimation and peace of this Church. "8. Item, That he, having no ministry in this Church, (other than such as before he had forsaken, and still condemneth as unlawful) and without any licence (as law requireth), hath since taken upon him to preach at Warwick, and at sundry ELIZAother places of this realm. "9. Item, That since his said return, in sundry private conferences, with such ministers and others, as at sundry times by word and letter have asked his advice or opinion, he hath showed mislike of the laws and government ecclesiastical, and of divers parts of the liturgy of this Church; and thereby persuaded and prevailed also with many, in sundry points, to break the orders and form of the Book of Common Prayer, who observed them before, and also to oppose themselves to the government of this Church, as himself well knoweth, or verily believeth. "10. Item, That in all, or most of such his sermons and exercises, he hath taken occasion to traduce, and inveigh against the bishops, and other governors under them in this Church. "11. Item, That he hath grown so far in hatred and dislike towards them, as that, at sundry times, in his prayer at sermons, and, namely, preaching at Bambury, about a year since, in such place as others well disposed pray for bishops, he prayed to this, or like effect: Because that they, which ought to be pillars in the Church, do bend themselves against Christ, and his truth; therefore, O Lord give us grace, and power, all as one man, to set ourselves against them.' And this in effect (by way of emphasis) he then also repeated. "12. Item, That preaching at sundry times and places, he usually reacheth at all occasions to deprave, condemn, and impugn the manner of ordination of bishops, ministers, and deacons; sundry points of the polity, government, laws, orders, and rites ecclesiastical and of the public liturgy of the Church of England, contained in the Book of Common Prayer, as, namely, the use of the surplice, the interrogatories to godfathers, &c., in the name of the infants, the cross in baptism, the ring in marriage, the thanksgiving after child-birth, burials by ministers, the kneeling at the communion, some points of the Litany, certain collects and prayers, the reading of portions of Scripture for the Epistle and Gospel, and the manner of singing in cathedral churches and others. “13. Item, That preaching at the baptizing of one Job Throgmorton's children, he spoke much of the unlawfulness, and in derogation of the government, polity, laws, and liturgy BETH. GIFT, WHIT- ecclesiastical of this realm, and to the justification of a governAbp. Cant. ment by elderships in every congregation, and by conference and synods, &c., abroad, as divine institutions commanded by Christ, and the only lawful Church government; seeking to prove and establish such elderships out of that word in one of the Psalms, where thrones are mentioned. "14. Item, That by toleration and impunity, he did grow so confident, and withal implacable, against the laws, government, and orders of this Church of England, that he could not endure Mr. Bourdman and others (preaching sundry times at Warwick) to speak in defence thereof; but took upon him to confute, in sundry sermons there, those things which the said Bourdman had truly and dutifully in that behalf spoken and delivered. "15. Item, That in his sermons at Warwick and elsewhere, within the said time, he often delivered many frivolous, strange, and undiscreet positions: as, namely, that to kneel down and pray when a man comes into church, or pray there privately, was but to offer the sacrifice of fools; that it was requisite all the hearers that were able should stand upon their feet during sermons; and discoursing about women and their child-birth, &c., did speak thereof so indiscreetly and offensively, that sundry of them, in great grief, had conspired to have mischieved him with stones in the open streets. "16. Item, That by his persuasions, privately and publicly delivered, sundry persons in and about Warwick were appointed to impugn, both in words and deeds, the laws, orders, and rites, prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer; insomuch as both his own wife, by his procurement and consent, refused after child-birth to come and give thanks in such place of the church, and in that solemn manner as thereby is prescribed; and some other women also of that town, by such example and persuasion, did use the like contempt. "17. Item, That sundry times (or at least once), when he communicated at the Lord's supper there, he sat, or stood upon his feet; and divers others, induced by his persuasions and example, both then and at other times, did the like. And that at other times, there, or in other places, where he hath communicated, both himself and others (as he had appointed or persuaded before) did walk along and receive the sacrament of the minister as they passed by him. BETH. "18. Item, That for these, and such like disorders, he was ELIZApresented to the bishop of Wigorne, his ordinary. Before whom, being convented in the consistory there, he spake to the justification and upholding of such doing of his, and of others; and there very publicly and offensively affirmed, and disputed, that the Book of Common Prayer, &c., is not established by law.' 6 "19. Item, That when, by authority from the said bishop, for his contempt he was suspended from preaching, ‘et ab omni functione ministerii,' he appealed from the said suspension, yet did not prosecute within a year after; whereby (the cause being, according to law, remitted again to the bishop) he, the said Thomas Cartwright, according to the former proceedings, falling again into the sentence of suspension (which was also intimated and made known unto him), nevertheless in contempt of the authority ecclesiastical, hath preached at Warwick, Coventry, and elsewhere, since the said time. "20. Item, When one of his men-servants had committed fornication, and gotten a bastard in his house, he, taking upon him the authority of the ordinary, did appoint unto the delinquent a public form of penance or satisfaction in St. Mary's church, and caused him to perform the same. “21. Item, Since his placing at Warwick, he, with others, (at such times as they thought fit,) have agreed to have, and so have had, divers public fasts, without the queen her authority, and have invited and persuaded both sundry persons to be there present, and also certain to preach, to the number of three, four, or five, successively, one after another, being all noted to be such, as mislike and impugn sundry points of the laws, government, and liturgy ecclesiastical of this Church of England. In which sermons, both he, the said Cartwright, and such others also as then preached, did impugn and inveigh against the present laws, government, polity, and liturgy ecclesiastical of this Church of England. "22. Item, That from time to time, since his abode in Warwick, by his practice and dealing, he hath nourished a faction and heart-burning of one inhabitant there against another, severing them in his own and his followers' speeches, by the names of the godly, or brethren favouring sincerity, and the profane. "23. Item, That he doth know, or hath credibly heard, who 625. WHIT GIFT, were the penners, printers, or some of the dispersers of the Abp. Cant. several libels going under the name of Martin Mar- Prelate; or, the Demonstration of Discipline of Diotrephes,' and such like books, before it was known to authority; and yet in favour of such, and contempt of good laws, did not manifest the same to any who had authority to punish it. "24. Item, That being asked his opinion of such books, he answered thus in effect, or something tending this way, viz., that they (meaning the bishops and others there touched) would not amend by grave books and advertisements, and therefore it was meet they should thus be dealt with, to their farther reproach and shame. 6 "25. Item, That for, and in behalf of the Church of England, he penned, or procured to be penned, all, or some part, of a little book entitled, in one part, Disciplina Ecclesiæ sacra Verbo Dei descripta;' and in the other part, Disciplina Synodica ex Ecclesiarum Usu,' &c. And after it was perused by others, whom he first acquainted therewith, he recommended the same to the censures and judgments of more brethren (being learned preachers), and some others, assembled together by his means, for that and other like purposes; which, after deliberation and some alterations, was by them, or most of them, allowed as the only lawful Church government, and fit to put in practice; and the ways and means for practising thereof in this realm, were also then, or not long after, agreed or concluded upon by them. "26. Item, That for the better and more due practice of it within the space of these seven, six, five, four, three, two or one year last past, the said Thomas Cartwright, and sundry others, (as aforesaid, according to former appointments and determinations by them made,) have met in assemblies termed synods, more general, (as at London, at terms and parliament times; in Oxford at the Act; in Cambridge at the times of Commencement and Sturbridge-fair,) and also more particular and provincial synods, and at classes or conferences of certain select ministers, in one or more places of several shires, as Warwick, Northampton, Rutland, Oxford, Leicester, Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and others. "27. Item, That at such synods and conferences it hath been concluded, that all the ministers which should be received to be either of the said general synods, or of any more parti |